Over 10,000 'Drug Offenders' in the First Half of This Year... Record High Level

Over 280 Minors Caught... Significant Decrease in Marijuana and Sharp Increase in Psychotropic Drugs

It has been confirmed that the number of drug offenders in the first half of this year exceeded 10,000, marking the highest level ever recorded. While some view this as a result of the government's strong crackdown on drugs, there is also an analysis that the significant increase in drug offenders is due to inadequate drug investigations in the past.

According to the Drug and Organized Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-eok) on the 25th, the number of drug offenders cracked down by the prosecution in the first half of this year was 10,252. This is a 19.6% increase compared to 8,575 during the same period last year, making it the largest number of drug offenders cracked down in the first half of any year.

Comparing the crackdown results by drug type in the first half of this year with the same period last year, the numbers are as follows: marijuana offenders decreased from 1,794 to 1,480, narcotics offenders increased from 1,154 to 1,365, and psychotropic drug offenders increased from 5,627 to 7,407. In particular, psychotropic drug offenders sharply rose from 65% to 72%.

The number of people caught for drug use was 4,351, while 3,110 were involved in smuggling and trafficking. Simple possession of drugs also accounted for 735 people. Among the drug offenders registered with the prosecution, 7,281 (71%) were male and 2,971 (29%) were female. The largest age group was people in their 20s and 30s with 5,695 individuals, followed by those in their 40s and 50s with 2,774. There were also 287 minors aged 15 to 19 caught, including 21 under the age of 15. All under-15 offenders were found to have used highly addictive psychotropic drugs, and most minors were involved with psychotropic drugs rather than marijuana.

The total amount of drugs seized by the prosecution was 570.9 kg. Compared to the same period last year, LSD, known as the "ultimate drug," surged by 11,998%, cocaine by 3,176%, hashish (a concentrated form of marijuana) by 555%, Yaba (meaning "crazy drug" in Thai) by 191%, and methamphetamine by 103%.

By occupation, the unemployed accounted for the largest number with 3,148 people, followed by company employees with 561, labor workers with 429, and students with 332. There were also 102 medical workers involved. By region, the Seoul metropolitan area including Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi accounted for more than half of the total crackdown at 51.6% (5,283 people), followed by Daegu and Gyeongbuk with 883, Busan with 760, Ulsan and Gyeongnam with 748, Daejeon and Chungnam with 608, and Gwangju and Jeonnam with 591. Foreign drug offenders were counted as 517 Thais, 293 Chinese, 259 Vietnamese, 75 Americans, and 30 Russians.

A prosecution official said, "Most minors under 15 years old either used or were involved in the distribution of dietamine, commonly known as 'butterfly drugs.' They obtained prescriptions through errand agencies or traded drugs prescribed as diet pills via SNS."

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