Evolving drug crimes are becoming more diverse, from smuggling to transaction methods.

As drug crimes have been on the rise in recent years, drug smuggling, distribution, and even transaction techniques have become increasingly sophisticated. According to data released by the Korea Customs Service in January, a total of 862 drugs were detected by customs authorities at the border last year, totaling 787 kg. This is an amount that can be administered to approximately 26 million people, or half of the total population, at the same time. Overseas smuggling methods are also diversifying. Smuggling attempts were made through international mail (420 cases) or express cargo (235 cases), and there were also quite a few direct smuggling attempts through travelers (199 cases).

Drugs that enter the country in this way are traded in several ways. They mainly recruit drug carriers through Telegram, SNS, etc., and they deliver the drugs to buyers. Like voice phishing, it is operated in the form of a branch organization from the leader to the middle and the lowest level.

Drug crimes have permeated every corner of our daily lives, but because they are carried out systematically and secretly, it is difficult to detect them. According to a Korean police research report, the average crime rate (multiplier for calculating the actual number of crimes committed compared to arrests) of domestic drug crimes is 28.57 times. Applying this, actual drug crimes are estimated to be much higher than official statistics.

The government also rolled up its sleeves to eradicate drugs. The government announced plans to strengthen the investigation team dedicated to online drug distribution and cooperate with online messenger operators such as Telegram to dismantle large-scale online drug distribution networks. As part of this, it was decided to increase the reward for informants of drug crimes from the current 50 million won to a maximum of 300 million won, and to reduce the punishment for criminals who cooperated with the investigation.

As drug crimes evolve day by day, punishments are becoming stronger. In drug cases, all parties involved, including sellers, buyers, and intermediaries, are punished according to the Narcotic Drugs Control Act. Smoking, consuming, cultivating or distributing marijuana can result in imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million won. In particular, psychotropic drugs such as methamphetamine (philopon), ecstasy, and ketamine can cause serious harm to the human body if misused, so the sentences are more severe. If taken illegally, you can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won. In addition, this applies to first-time offenders without exception, and if they engage in acts such as destroying or hiding drugs after being caught, they cannot avoid aggravated punishment.

In addition, in the case of new drugs with stronger hallucinogenic effects than existing drugs, if they are recognized as similar to existing drugs, they will be subject to criminal punishment under the temporary narcotic designation system. Therefore, just as with existing banned drugs, all activities, including administration, possession, possession, management, selling, and receiving, are prohibited. In particular, caution is required for these new types of drugs because even if no drugs are detected in the body, suspicion can be established based on purchase records or money transfer details.

Cho Seong-geun, a drug lawyer at Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), said, “If you are a drug suspect, it is highly likely that the investigative agency has already obtained a lot of related evidence.” He added, “If it is a simple drug use case, it is necessary to prepare extenuating circumstances for the facts of the case, focusing on the value of the drug, whether it was distributed, etc. In addition, for narcotics and psychotropic drugs, an intensive investigation follows the principle of arrest investigation, and if you want to reduce the suspicion even a little, it is recommended to consult with an expert from the beginning of the investigation. In general, it is recommended. “Distributors are often arrested on the spot, so the circumstances of the case must be clearly revealed at the initial investigation stage to avoid as much as possible unfavorable situations in the future trial process,” he said.

[Global Epic CP Lee Soo-hwan / lsh@globalepic.co.kr]

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