Prosecutors in South Korea have reported a significant increase in crypto-powered drug trafficking activities across the country. According to the Drug Crime White Paper released by the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Department, there were 27,611 arrests made for drug-related offenses in the past year, marking a 50.1% rise from the previous year. The paper attributed this surge to a change in drug trafficking patterns, with criminals now opting for non-face-to-face transactions using cryptocurrency and secure chat apps. Telegram has become the preferred platform for conducting these crimes, with Bitcoin being the most commonly used payment method. The report also highlighted a rise in drug crimes involving women and non-Korean nationals, particularly from Southeast Asia. Furthermore, there has been a significant increase in crypto-powered drug crimes committed by teenagers, with the number of offenders aged 19 or below rising from 239 in 2019 to 1,477 in the past year. Prosecutors have expressed concern over these statistics and have emphasized the need for stronger international cooperation to combat this issue. Law enforcement agencies in South Korea have been investing in technology and collaborating with crypto exchanges to crack down on crypto-powered drug crimes. In addition, a Dark Web Investigation Team has been formed to investigate social media platforms, and police have developed an Internet Drug Crime Information Acquisition System to monitor blockchain protocols. Recent operations have led to the arrest of suspected gang members and the confiscation of drugs worth over $1 million in North Chungcheong Province. These arrests were made possible through the analysis of Telegram messages, cryptocurrency flows, and CCTV footage. The gang was reportedly smuggling drugs from Vietnam and using a cryptocurrency agency for transactions to evade detection.
