Record High Trend in Drug Offenders... 4,220 Caught in July Alone

14,472 Caught by July... 5,495 Drug Offenders
550 Underage Drug Offenders... 50 Teachers Including Professors

The number of drug offenders caught during the month of July, marking the start of the second half of the year, has been confirmed to have more than doubled compared to July of last year. Since the number of drug offenders apprehended in the first half of the year has already exceeded 10,000, if this trend continues, the total number of drug offenders caught this year is expected to far surpass last year's 18,395, setting a record high.

According to the Drug and Organized Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Young-bin) on the 4th, a total of 4,220 drug offenders were caught in July, an increase of 111.1% (1,999 people) compared to the same period last year. Until the first half of this year, the number of drug offenders caught was at the level of 1,000 to 2,000 per month, but it sharply increased to over 4,000 in July. This appears to be the result of intensive crackdowns conducted by the police and others following the launch of the Special Investigation Headquarters for Drug Crimes at the government-wide level in April this year.

A prosecutor involved stated, "It was a period when group drug use at foreigner karaoke bars and poppy cultivation offenders significantly increased," adding, "It seems that the police's focused crackdowns after the launch of the Special Investigation Headquarters have led to these results."

Comparing by drug type with the same period last year, the number of drug offenders increased overall: ▲ Marijuana from 339 to 356 ▲ Narcotics from 689 to 1,425 ▲ Psychotropic drugs (hyangjeong) from 971 to 2,439, with psychotropic drug offenders showing a particularly sharp rise.

Up to July this year, a total of 14,472 drug offenders were caught, among whom 5,495 were drug users, and 4,552 were involved in smuggling or trafficking. Simple possession offenders also reached 935. Among the users, 4,382 were psychotropic drug offenders, 879 were marijuana offenders, and 234 were narcotics offenders, confirming that the proportion of psychotropic drug use was overwhelmingly high.

Among the drug offenders registered with the prosecution, 9,779 (67.6%) were male and 4,693 (32.4%) were female. The largest age group was those in their 20s and 30s with 7,391 people, followed by those in their 40s and 50s with 3,648. Minors aged 15 to 19 were also caught, totaling 515, including 35 under the age of 15.

By occupation, the unemployed accounted for the largest number at 4,430, followed by company employees at 734, laborers at 582, and students at 568. Medical workers numbered 147, and educators including professors reached 50. By region, the Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi metropolitan area accounted for more than half of the total arrests at 50.16% (7,256 people), followed by Daegu and Gyeongbuk with 1,269, Ulsan and Gyeongnam with 1,080, Busan with 1,056, Daejeon and Chungnam with 835, and Gwangju and Jeonnam with 824. Foreign drug offenders were counted as 738 Thais, 379 Chinese, 335 Vietnamese, 84 Americans, and 40 Russians.

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