Korean Customs Service declares war on `new drugs`

The Korea Customs Service has declared war on "new drugs" that are fast spreading especially among U.S. soldiers stationed in Korea on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which falls on Tuesday.

According to the customs agency on Monday, the volume of synthetic marijuana seized in 2009 was just 30 grams, but shot up 100 times to 3,059 grams through last year and 230 times to 6,887 grams through May this year. Synthetic marijuana, which is made by chemically concocting a hallucinating substance, has a stronger hallucinating effect than conventional pot.

In addition, 76 grams of synthetic cathinone, which is created by synthesizing the main ingredient of the herbal narcotic khat, were seized by customs officials through May this year, up from one gram in 2010, when the drug was first caught in Korea.

A customs official said, “More new narcotics are being smuggled into Korea since such drugs are in vogue worldwide,” adding, “Drug traffickers continue to generate new products by partially changing the chemical structure of narcotics, so officials in charge of crackdown are having trouble.”

"Spice (JWH-018)," a kind of synthetic marijuana, is mostly smuggled into Korea by U.S. soldiers stationed here. About 80 percent of synthetic marijuana seized through May this year was being carried by American servicemen.

The National Gang Information Center under the U.S. FBI also published a report suggesting that organized gangs, including the Korea Dragon Family within the U.S. Forces Korea, conduct the smuggling and trafficking of drugs.

To block the spread of new drugs in Korea, customs authorities will establish a special crackdown center for new narcotics directly under the head of the customs agency. Inspections of international special courier delivery packages and mail from major sources of narcotics, including the U.S. and Hungary, will also be carried out.

Korean customs officials will also designate June 25-29 as "Anti-Drug Abuse Week" and stage campaigns to eradicate drug trafficking at major ports and airports, including Incheon International Airport.

constant25@donga.com