On the 28th of last month, evidence including 1,690 blocks of cocaine found in April at Gyeongpo Port in Gangneung is being revealed at a briefing on the drug investigation results held at the Donghae Regional Coast Guard in Donghae City, Gangwon Province. The seized cocaine consists of 1,690 blocks in a rectangular shape measuring 10 cm in width, 6 cm in length, and 1.7 cm in height. After removing the multiple layers of plastic wrapping, the weight per block is confirmed to be 1 kg, making the total weight of pure cocaine 1,690 kg (including packaging, 1,988.67 kg). This is enough for approximately 57 million people, exceeding the total population of South Korea, to use at the same time. /Courtesy of News1

The number of drug offenders caught by law enforcement last year recorded over 20,000 for the second consecutive year. However, the upward trend has been halted.

The Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office noted in its '2024 Drug Crime White Paper' published on the 15th that the number of drug offenders arrested last year was 23,022, a decrease of 16.6% from the record high of 27,611 the previous year.

The number of domestic drug offenders has remained around 10,000 since 1999, when it was 10,589. The prevalence of non-face-to-face online drug transactions using social media and the dark web began to rise around 2015 and surpassed 20,000 in 2023.

By type of crime, there were 9,528 drug use offenders, 7,738 supply offenders (manufacturing, smuggling, and trafficking), and 19 manufacturing offenders. The Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office stated, “As the crackdown on the smuggling of drugs from overseas has intensified, attempts to manufacture and distribute drugs domestically after bringing in raw materials have increased.”

As the number of foreign residents in Korea increases, the number of foreign drug offenders is also steadily rising. Last year, it reached an all-time high of 3,232. The Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office explained that cases of smuggling and selling drugs, particularly through international mail and centered around industrial complexes and large-scale farms, surged.

Among drug offenders, those in their 20s and 30s numbered 13,996, accounting for 60.8% of the total. This is an increase of 6.3 percentage points compared to 54.5% in 2023. The number of drug offenders in their teens was 649, which is less than half of 1,477 in 2023. The proportion of teen offenders among all drug offenders also decreased from 5.3% in 2023 to 2.8% last year. Authorities have implemented government-wide measures to prevent and crackdown on youth drug crimes following the drug drink incident in the Daechi-dong academy area in 2023.

Last year, the amount of drugs seized was 1,173.2 kg, an increase of 17.6% compared to the previous year. The quantities of cocaine, yaba, and JWH-018 (commonly known as synthetic cannabis) increased from the previous year, while the amounts of methamphetamine (philopon) and marijuana decreased.