Launch of 'Special Drug Crime Investigation Headquarters'... Over 800 personnel from Prosecutors, Police, and Customs Service deployed

'Deputy Chiefs of the Joint Headquarters: Head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Head of the National Police Agency, and Head of the Criminal Affairs Bureau'
'Principle of Enhanced Punishment and Detention Investigation for Suppliers Targeting Youth'

The 'Special Investigation Headquarters for Drug Crimes (Special Headquarters),' which serves as the control tower for nationwide drug investigations, has been launched. A total of 840 personnel dedicated to drug investigations have been deployed to the Special Headquarters, centered on the prosecution, police, and Customs Service.

On the 10th, the prosecution, police, and Customs Service held a meeting of related agencies for responding to drug crimes at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and launched the Special Headquarters, co-headed by Shin Bong-su, Head of the Anti-Corruption and Serious Crimes Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and Kim Gap-sik, Director of the Criminal Bureau at the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters.

The prosecution deployed a total of 377 personnel, including drug investigation staff from the Anti-Corruption and Serious Crimes Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the previously formed Special Investigation Team for Drug Crimes, 92 dedicated drug prosecutors from 60 prosecution offices nationwide, and 270 drug investigators. The police mobilized 371 dedicated personnel from the National Investigation Headquarters' drug investigation team, 17 metropolitan and provincial police agencies, and specialized police stations. The Customs Service deployed 92 dedicated personnel to respond to drug crimes entering the country through airports and ports.

The Special Headquarters plans to jointly respond from the investigation initiation stage through trial procedures, with dedicated drug prosecutors exclusively handling various warrants and transfer cases related to drug incidents involving the police, customs, and coast guard, conducting thorough investigations at every stage from smuggling to distribution and consumption.

Additionally, the Special Headquarters will share monitoring data such as suspicious immigration and customs clearance records, internet drug monitoring results, and analysis from the Integrated Narcotics Management System to enhance investigation efficiency and conduct on-site investigations together during large-scale arrests.

The Special Headquarters' key investigation targets include ▲ drug supply to youth ▲ internet drug distribution ▲ drug smuggling and export/import ▲ manufacturing and distribution of medical narcotics. In particular, the Special Headquarters will crack down on manufacturers and distributors through focused online monitoring using key terms such as ‘memory and concentration enhancement,’ ‘for examinees,’ and ‘diet pills.’

The Special Headquarters has established a principle of applying organized crime charges and conducting detention investigations for drug smuggling, manufacturing, and distribution offenders. Especially, offenders supplying drugs to youth will face aggravated prosecution. Furthermore, drug users will be detained for investigation if the severity of the case or risk of recidivism is recognized, considering prior offenses and frequency of use.

Moreover, to respond to drug crimes targeting minors, the Special Headquarters will strengthen 24-hour monitoring using Seoul’s ‘Smart Seoul CCTV Safety Center,’ focusing on schools, academies, and child protection zones. Suspected drug offenders targeting minors will be monitored and immediately linked to the police for information sharing and response support. Considering that drug crimes often involve ‘throwing’ drugs into densely populated residential areas such as mailboxes and outdoor units, monitoring of suspicious behavior and police patrols will be intensified.

Recently, in the academy districts around Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, an incident occurred where adult men and women distributed drinks containing drug substances to high school students, claiming they improve concentration, and then threatened the students’ parents by alleging their children had used drugs to extort money.

In response, President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed the prosecution and police to thoroughly investigate drug crimes and recover criminal proceeds.

A Special Headquarters official stated, "All government agencies attending the meeting will mobilize their investigative and administrative capabilities to protect the public from drug crimes and strive to restore South Korea’s status as a ‘drug-free country’ so that future generations can live safe daily lives free from drugs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.