A view of the Supreme Prosecutors Office building in southern Seoul (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Prosecutors launched a special investigation unit on Tuesday to combat growing drug crimes through coordinated efforts with other government agencies.
The unit comprises four investigation teams at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office and district prosecutors offices in Incheon, Busan and Gwangju, respectively, the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) said.
The teams are staffed by a total of 84 people, including prosecutors, investigators, and customs, food safety and other officials, the SPO said.
The unit focuses on investigations into large-scale drug smuggling, illegal circulation of medical-purpose drugs and drug dealings over the internet, such as the dark web that is inaccessible by regular web browsers, the SPO said.
A total of 18,395 drug offenders were apprehended last year, up 13.9 percent from a year earlier, the SPO said.
Noticeably, the number of people arrested for smuggling illegal narcotics into the country jumped from 807 in 2021 to 1,392 in 2022, prosecutors said.
Also, the ratio of teenagers among drug offenders jumped from 15.8 percent in 2017 to 34.2 percent in 2022, the SPO said.
Prosecutors attributed the increase to more opportunities for the younger population to buy and sell drugs through the internet and social media, and the international delivery system.
(Yonhap)
