No. of drug offenders reaches all-time record of over 20,000 this year

SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- The number of drug offenders surged nearly 50 percent from last year to reach an all-time high of over 20,000 in the first 10 months of this year, officials said Wednesday.

The findings were announced by a special interagency investigation team that was launched in April to fight increasing drug crimes.

From January to October, 22,393 people were nabbed for drug crimes, up 47.5 percent from the corresponding number of 15,182 recorded in the same period last year, according to the investigation team.

Of the drug offenders caught this year, 7,301 were convicted of drug smuggling or illicit manufacturing, marking a whopping increase of 82.9 percent from the corresponding number last year.

Of the total, 1,174 people were in their teens while another 6,580 were in their 20s, together accounting for 34.6 percent. The corresponding figure was 5,041 last year.

"Drug crimes among young generations in their teens and 20s are surging rapidly on the back of growing online drug dealing through social network services, the dark web and direct purchase from overseas," the investigation team said.

Amid the worrying growth of drug crimes among young people in recent years, the police conducted a special drug inspection from March to November.

The Supreme Prosecutors Office has also recently pledged to strictly deal with abuse of medical-purpose drugs, such as the both opioid-based Fentanyl and Pethidine.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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