Teen Drug Offenders Triple Compared to Last Year... 602 Cases in the First Half of the Year

The number of drug offenders caught during the police's intensive crackdown in the first half of this year increased by more than 60% compared to last year. In particular, drug offenders in their teens nearly tripled compared to last year.

The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency announced on the 14th that the number of drug offenders caught during the intensive crackdown from March to July this year was 10,316, a 63.7% increase compared to 6,301 last year. Among them, the number of those arrested increased by 92.6%, from 801 to 1,543.

Additionally, the number of teenage drug offenders caught up to July this year was 602, a 197% increase compared to 203 during the same period last year. The proportion of teenagers among all drug offenders also more than doubled, rising from 2.7% to 5.8%. All age groups showed an increase of over 40% compared to the same period last year, including those in their 20s (3,394), 30s (2,142), 40s (1,451), and 50s (1,168), while those aged 60 and above (2,872) increased by a staggering 91%.

During this intensive crackdown, the police apprehended 3,065 supply offenders, including 45 manufacturing offenders, 92 smuggling offenders, and 2,928 sales offenders. This represents an 87.2% increase compared to the same period last year.

The number of drug offenders caught around clubs and entertainment establishments was 385, about five times higher than 78 during the same period last year. Internet drug offenders using the internet and social networking services (SNS) also increased by more than 40% to 2,137. Additionally, 1,211 foreign drug offenders were caught, a 55.3% increase compared to the same period last year. This accounts for 11.7% of the total arrests, with Thais numbering 519 (42.9%), Chinese 280 (23.1%), Vietnamese 238 (19.7%), Russians 39 (3.2%), and Americans 31 (2.6%), in that order.

Furthermore, the police arrested 2,724 offenders illegally cultivating opium poppies and cannabis, seizing 180,488 plants. In the case of cannabis, a total of 12,304 plants were seized, a tenfold increase compared to 1,223 plants during the same period last year. Methamphetamine seizures also increased 5.4 times to 52.3 kg compared to last year. Along with this, 1.09 billion KRW in drug crime proceeds were seized, and pre-indictment seizure and confiscation measures were taken for assets worth 3.94 billion KRW. The amount for seizure and confiscation increased by 79.1% compared to 2.2 billion KRW during the same period last year.

A police official stated, "We will continue the intensive crackdown in the second half of the year immediately after the first half's crackdown ends," adding, "We plan to maintain a year-round, continuous strong crackdown system."

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