Police declares war on drugs

A joint drug enforcement team consisting of police, fire station, and local district administrations made an unexpected visit to a large nightclub near Gangnam station in Seoul around 10 p.m. on Friday. Reports have been received over the last three months that drugs had been in circulation, with the involvement of employees, etc.

The team checked lockers, fire extinguishers, etc. based on reports that drugs were traded by a “hide-and-seek” method (hiding drugs in a specific location to be picked up by the buyer). Wastebaskets in bathrooms were also searched for traces of drugs. A total of 51 investigators were dispatched to search four nightclubs, but none of them were found to have any trace of drug trafficking or injection.

Experts say that the current investigative method of focusing on offline trading is not very effective in tracking evolving drug trade. “Drugs are traded through the dark net nowadays, but Korean investigations are still 20 years behind,” said Kim Young-sik, professor of criminal justice at Seowon University. “A more proactive approach that involves online investigation is needed.”


Won-Mo Yu onemore@donga.com