Police announce crackdown on illegal drugs focused on clubs

An official holds up cocaine that was seized while being smuggled into South Korea, in an Aug. 19 briefing held at the headquarters of the Korea Coast Guard Region-Central in Incheon. (Yonhap)

The National Investigation Headquarters of the Korean National Police Agency announced Sunday that it has begun a strengthened crackdown on drugs at facilities in entertainment districts such as nightclubs, which will continue until end of the year.

Multiple police units have been mobilized to assist existing drug investigation personnel, according to the agency.

The Narcotics Investigation Unit will focus on investigating drug distribution activities in entertainment districts. The Mobile Detective unit will conduct on-side crackdowns, investigations and intelligence gathering. The International Crime Investigation Unit will focus on investigating and cracking down on drug crimes in those entertainment districts where specifically foreign nationals tend to gather, according to the agency. The Mobile Patrol Unit will patrol as well as conduct searches and arrests in such districts.

Police will also work with regional governments in this drug crackdown. Facilities in which illegal drugs are distributed or used may face administrative punishments, including their operations being banned.

According to the police, increasing numbers of people have been arrested for drug-related crimes since 2022, jumping from 161 in 2021 to 454 in 2022, to 686 in 2023. A total of 358 people were detained for drug-related crimes between January and July of this year alone.

The portion of drug crimes caught occurring at clubs has also risen since 2022, according to the agency. In 2021, only 1.5 percent of drug crime suspects were caught operating at clubs, but the figure has been rising since then to 4.2 percent in the Jan-July period.

Amid the government's push to root out drug crimes, the amounts of illegally distributed drugs authorities have seized this year have increased compared to the same period last year. Seized cocaine has increased 451.2 percent, while seized GHB (gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid) has increased 269 percent, seized ya ba -- a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine -- has risen 221.4 percent, seized ketamine is up 108.1 percent and seized synthetic cannabinoids is up 42.8.

Korea's Narcotics Control Act bans the use, distribution and possession of what it defines as narcotics, along with the unregulated use of what it defines as psychotropic drugs. Psychotropic drugs include substances like propofol and zolpidem, the use of which is legal only with a proper prescription.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)