Special investigation teams fight against drugs

Declaring war on drug crimes, the Prosecution announced a plan to form special investigation teams at four high prosecutors' offices in Seoul, Incheon, Busan, and Gwangju.

“With just a few swipes and taps on social media, some even have easy access to narcotics at a price they would just pay for a pizza,” Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok told reporters on Friday. “The prosecution will work hard to reclaim South Korea as one of the world’s drug-free countries.” This special squad against narcotics teams up with experts from the Korea Customs Service (KCS), the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), and the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) to look at any possible smuggling and distribution route of drugs from overseas to the country thoroughly and strenuously.

With the four District Prosecutors' Offices combined, the special investigation team will involve 70 to 80 staff members such as prosecutors exclusively in charge of drug investigation; special KCS staffers blocking drug trafficking; the KCC’s specialists in identifying and blocking drug-selling websites; and experts in narcotic drugs for medical use at the MFDS.

The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) analyzed that drug dealers smuggle drugs into South Korea as they sell at a premium. For example, a gram of methamphetamine sells at 0.8 million to 1 million won in the local market while it is only 44 dollars in the United States. “For this reason, there are a growing number of illegal drug manufacturing sites in Southeast Asia targeting the South Korean market,” said the SPO. “It will collaborate with overseas investigators to launch joint investigations swiftly.”


hcshin@donga.com