[Exclusive] Police Form Undercover Investigation Task Force for Drug Crimes

Passage of Law Permitting Undercover Investigations, Follow-up Measures Underway

Designing Undercover Procedures... Police Take the Lead in Drug Investigations

Following the passage of the revised law allowing undercover investigations targeting drug offenders, the police have begun forming a dedicated task force to implement follow-up measures. This is expected to enable a top-down, proactive investigative approach where police officers can directly infiltrate criminal organizations, rather than only tracking up the supply chain from low-level distributors.

According to the police on May 6, the Narcotics and Organized Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency has started creating a "Narcotics Crime Undercover Investigation Task Force (TF)." Applications for positions have been accepted from the 4th until today. The team will consist of one superintendent-level team leader and two officers of inspector rank or below, with plans to expand personnel as needed. Until the first half of next year, the TF will handle revisions to enforcement ordinances following the amended Narcotics Control Act, establish related manuals, and develop training and guidelines for investigators.

Choi (51), who is accused of supplying methamphetamine and other drugs to Park Wang-yeol (47), known as "Telegram Worldwide," is leaving the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 3rd to attend the pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review). Photo by Yonhap News.

The revised Narcotics Control Act, which provides the legal basis for undercover operations such as investigators assuming false identities and infiltrating criminal organizations, passed the National Assembly’s plenary session on April 23. Previously, only opportunity-based sting operations were permitted; this is the first time a legal system for undercover investigations has been established. The amendment allows possession, sale, advertising, exchange, transport, and import of narcotics using undercover identities, and authorizes undercover investigations for up to three years in three-month increments with court approval. It also permits the creation, modification, and use of documents or electronic records to conceal investigators’ identities. Investigation efficiency is expected to improve, especially against increasingly sophisticated drug crimes centered online.

However, since undercover investigations are being introduced for the first time, it is necessary to clearly define the scope and procedures for permissible investigations. As entrapment operations that induce criminal intent remain illegal, strict guidelines are required.

The task force plans to specify detailed legal guidelines within the framework permitted by higher law, including procedures and criteria for approving the use of undercover identities. This aims to prevent any legal loopholes such as illegal investigation controversies or the exclusion of unlawfully collected evidence during trial, ensuring suspects cannot escape prosecution on such grounds.

Currently, the police are the only agency leading the practical design of undercover investigations. Although the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, launching in October this year, will have jurisdiction over major drug crimes, there is consensus that the police’s extensive intelligence network and field response capabilities cannot be easily replaced. While the scope of investigations will be adjusted according to the scale of each case, the police’s response capacity is expected to remain the driving force in substantive drug investigations regardless of such adjustments.

A police official stated, "With undercover investigations, police can directly participate, allowing us to reach higher-level members of organizations more quickly," adding, "We expect the arrest efficiency to increase significantly compared to traditional investigations that only track low-level distributors."

Meanwhile, in late March of this year, the police extradited Park Wang-yeol (47), known as "Telegram Worldwide," from the Philippines, and on May 1, repatriated Choi (51), the supplier known as "Telegram Cheongdam Boss," who had been hiding in Thailand. Choi has been found to have supplied drugs to Park or been involved in smuggling them into Korea. After Park’s extradition, the police obtained information on Choi and conducted a joint undercover operation with local authorities, apprehending Choi within three weeks of launching the investigation.

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