South Korean Prosecutors ‘Unveil Plans to Infiltrate Crypto-powered Drug Gangs’
Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked...
South Korean prosecutors have formulated plans to go undercover and pose as crypto-paying drug dealers to infiltrate narcotics gangs.
Per Chosun Ilbo, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office is “pushing” the government to green-light a legal “amendment.”
If they are successful, this will allow prosecution officials to “create fake IDs” and infiltrate “drug organizations” and identify narcotics kingpins.
South Korea has been hit with a wave of Telegram-based drug-related crime in recent years. This has led to Korean-language sections of the app becoming what the media has termed “a department store for narcotics.”
Bitcoin (BTC) and major-cap altcoins are the “payment currency” in this “department store,” media outlets have noted.
Around 1,430 minors, aged 14 to 18, were investigated by police for drug offenses, including possession, consumption, and distribution, between 2018 and 2023, according to data from the Korean National Police Agency.https://t.co/JoJO9jvMWX
Prosecutors and police have responded by buying sophisticated blockchain network-monitoring software solutions.
They have also launched sting operations to catch “dead-dropping” drug dealers: Sellers who accept advance payment in Bitcoin and then leave drug consignments in public areas near buyers’ homes.
By posing as “customers,” police and prosecutors have managed to use CCTV to track down and prosecute some dealers.
They have then used blockchain monitoring solutions to identify and punish drug buyers.
However, they have had much less success identifying criminals further up the
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