Good day everyone,
I hope you are all having a good day, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things crypto. In this post I will be looking at how the South Korean Customs Services have blamed crypto for drug smuggling into the country, as dealers use Telegram and crypto transactions for sales.
Drugs via Telegram and Crypto
Customs officials from South Korea have noted that the spread of cryptocurrency has led to an 18% in the smuggling of drugs into the country. The officials noted they have seized 769kg worth of narcotics in the last year, which is up from the 624kg in 2022. All the way back in 2020 there was just a total of 148kg, representing a staggering 5x increase as the South Korean 'crypto' powered narcotics epidemic worsens.
The Korea Customs Service explained that it had detected a rise in “small-scale drug smuggling” cases. They stated:
“Drug smuggling attempts are continuing due to the high domestic drug prices compared to other countries. The spread of non-face-to-face transactions [using] virtual currency is also [causing this increase].”
The data compiled by the offices of lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, noted that law enforces had managed to seize a total of $45.6 million worth of narcotics last year. The majority of these drugs were intended to be sold via Telegram, where dealers advertise their sales on 'X', the darkweb, and also in open Telegram groups. Generally payment is requested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and the drugs are then dead dropped to customers in public locations.
According to media outlets, Korean-language Telegram groups are rife with crypto powered departments stores for the youth to purchase narcotics. According to the information analysed by Jeon Yong-gi, the Korea Customs Service and the Incheon International Airport Corporation figures show that officers managed to intercept 327kg of narcotics which were sent by traffickers via international mail services last year. Another 275kg of drugs were hidden within express cargo containers. A total of 148kg were intercepted from air passengers arriving into the nation.
Among the drugs the officers seized were 438kg of methamphetamines, as well as smaller amounts of ketamine, marijuana, and cocaine. It seems that this “epidemic” is far from over as the data shows the total amount of drugs seized by customs officials from January to July 2024 was 377kg. This represented roughly 49% of the total amount seized the previous year.
Back in April of this year the South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called for an all-out war against the crypto-powered drug traffickers. These comments arrived following reports of dozens of cases of narcotics trading by teenagers and people in their 20s. Given that the Telegram channel operators became aware of the police monitoring their channels, it is shocking that they responded by openly mocking law enforcement. With Telegram basically operating as an online “department store” for young drug buyers, one popular channel, a drug distribution gang “taunted” police officers by writing:
“Dear detectives, If you want to be promoted faster than your colleagues, please contact us and we will help you find [people to arrest].”
The poster mocking the police also noted jokingly how they could provide police officers with “wholesale” prices. The Telegram channels also operate as 'job agencies for young people' by advertising crypto-paying “posts” such as “dead-drop delivery person.” The “recruiters” behind these “job advertisements” appear to be collecting confidential data from their “staff,” gathering social security numbers and “family certificates.”
Towards the end of last year the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office launched an AI-powered drug monitoring software solution that it has since provided to 18 local prosecutors’ offices. The software combs images and text on the Telegram, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram apps, looking for narcotics-related content. South Korean law enforcement agencies have also sent agents to work abroad as the majority of the narcotics arrive into the nation from Southeast Asia.
Have a great day.
Peace. CryptoGod-1.
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