20s Female Arrested and Indicted for Selling Drugs to Juniors Since Senior Year of High School

Selling Drugs to Acquaintances After Purchasing via Telegram
Also Charged with Six Counts of Drug Use

A woman in her 20s who used drugs since high school and sold drugs to juniors and acquaintances has been detained and brought to trial.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Soon-ae) indicted Ms. A (20, female) on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act through direct detention, Yonhap News reported on the 14th. Direct detention indictment means that although the police transferred the suspect with a recommendation for non-custodial prosecution, the prosecution judged that detention was necessary and indicted the suspect in custody. Along with this, the prosecution also indicted three people who purchased drugs from Ms. A without detention.

Ms. A is accused of purchasing large quantities of synthetic marijuana, Philopon, Ecstasy, and other drugs via Telegram for about three months from December 2022 to February last year, dividing them into smaller amounts, and selling them to acquaintances eight times. Among the buyers who purchased drugs from Ms. A, who was a high school senior at the time of the incident, it was confirmed that there was also a high school junior student. In addition, Ms. A is also charged with using drugs six times at her residence and other locations.

A prosecution official said, "We will strictly punish and eradicate drug crimes that are rapidly spreading among young people, including adolescents," and added, "We plan to make every effort to prevent drug crimes, including preventive education for youth, in cooperation with related organizations such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety."

The number of teenage drug offenders has recently increased sharply. According to the 'Monthly Narcotics Trends' released by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in September last year, the number of teenage drug offenders from January to September last year was 988, more than double the 481 during the same period the previous year. Among teenage drug offenders, those aged 15 to 18 were found to be the most vulnerable. In 2022, there were 291 drug offenders in this age group, but the number increased to 655 in 2023. The rapid increase in teenage drug offenders is due to easier drug purchases through non-face-to-face sales via social networking services (SNS) compared to before.

Because of this, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education conducted drug prevention education for high school seniors who had finished the college entrance exam for the first time last year. In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education established a pool of 30 specialized drug prevention education instructors, including pharmacists, lawyers, and retired teachers, and began full-scale operation from April 22. They plan to support 1,500 drug prevention education sessions for middle and high schools that wish to receive drug prevention education by November.

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