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More than 140 individuals involved in the smuggling, distribution, and use of narcotics have been caught by the police.

Most of them used illegal virtual assets to trade drugs in order to evade law enforcement.

The majority of buyers were in their 20s and 30s, familiar with virtual assets.

Reporter Choo Jae-hoon has the details.

[Report]

As the police dug up the ground under a tree, a black object emerged.

It was the psychoactive drug 'ketamine,' classified as a narcotic.

Inside a box shipped from Canada, methamphetamine disguised as a nutritional supplement was also found.

In the case of international express deliveries, it is virtually impossible for customs to conduct thorough inspections, which has been exploited to evade law enforcement.

In total, 149 individuals involved in the smuggling, distribution, and purchase of narcotics were arrested by the police.

Drugs worth 4 billion won were also confiscated.

This amount is enough for over 47,000 people to use simultaneously.

It was also confirmed that they used unreported illegal virtual asset transactions to buy and sell narcotics to avoid police crackdowns.

When buyers deposited money into illegal virtual asset exchanges, the operators purchased virtual assets and transferred them to the sellers, who distributed the narcotics using a method known as 'throwing.'

[Nam Seong-shin/Head of Drug Crime Investigation Division 1, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency: "With the emergence of virtual assets, much more covert transactions have become possible. We operate a 'virtual asset tracking program,' so we can track most transactions."]

Among the drug buyers caught this time, 92% were in their 20s and 30s, and there were also two individuals in their teens.

The proportion of drug offenders in their 20s and 30s has increased from 49% in 2020 to 60% in 2024.

The police believe that the 20-30 age group, familiar with internet use, is turning to social media and virtual assets to purchase narcotics, and they plan to form a dedicated team for focused investigations.

This is KBS News, Choo Jae-hoon.

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