Smuggling of illegal drugs increasing

The amount of illegal drugs seized by the authorities last year was almost double that of 2017, along with an increased number of cases of international crime rings using Korea as a transition point for drug trafficking.

According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Monday, 517.2 kilograms of illegal drugs were confiscated last year, up 99.8 percent from 2017’s 258.9 kilograms. The number of drug traffickers caught also rose to 521 from 481.

The prosecution attributed the drastic rise to the increasing use of the country as a transit point to other countries, in connection with Taiwanese and Japanese gangs.

In September last year, the prosecution arrested 28 members of such gangs who smuggled 152.28 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country and seized the drugs.

Eight Malaysians were also arrested on charges of bringing 13.3 kilograms of methamphetamine from Malaysia into Korea via Incheon International Airport and Gimhae International Airport on five occasions from Dec. 27 last year to Jan. 17, the prosecution said.

This year as well, prosecutors seized 24.3 kilograms of methamphetamine from other Malaysian drug dealers in July.

There has been also a growing number of cases of people purchasing drugs online and obtaining them via international post. Last year, the authorities uncovered 1,516 online purchases and sales of drugs, up 37.3 percent from 1,100 in 2017.

Prosecutors suspect young people including college students buy and use them at parties and clubs.Drug use cases by foreign residents have been also upward, from 551 cases in 2014 to 640 in 2015, 957 in 2016, 932 in 2017 and 948 last year.

The prosecution said it would set up a team at the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office dedicated to investigating and tracking international drug rings. It will also launch a special investigation team at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to crack down on the drug trade conducted through the dark web.