By Kim Rahn
The trade in illegal drugs along with the range of illicit drugs is surging here, requiring stronger monitoring and crackdowns, according to a report released Tuesday by Rep. Yoon Sang-il of the Future Hope Alliance.
The report showed that police confiscated 6.14 kilograms of methamphetamine from smugglers and dealers during the first half of this year.
It was more than double the amount seized during the same period last year, 2.9 kilograms. “While the amounts of most other kinds of drugs police confiscate are decreasing, that of methamphetamine has increased. The government should come up with countermeasures,” he said.
According to data from the National Police Agency, police estimated the methamphetamine seized this year was worth 5 billion won, as the drug was sold at 830,000 won per gram on the black market at the end of 2010.
Yoon added marijuana was sold at 10,000 won per gram, while a tablet of ecstasy was traded at 40,000 won and dextromethorphan, or romilar, at 500 won per tablet.
In the meantime, Rep. Son Sook-mee of the Grand National Party called for a measure against the increasing use of Zoletil, an anesthetic for animals, as a narcotic.
The drug is called “double K” here, as users say its mood altering effect doubles that of ketamine, often dubbed “K,” which is also an anesthetic but classified as a narcotic.
Son said Zoletil is categorized as a medicine for animals, so people can easily purchase it. “The ingredients of the drug are very similar to those of ketamine. Zoletil was categorized as a narcotic in the U.S. in 1987, and the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention is also studying whether to do the same,” she said.
She said the drug is used in crimes as well. A man in his 20s was arrested last year for raping and robbing a woman after giving her Zoletil. In another case, a man had a woman in her 70s drink an energy drink containing the drug, rendering her unconscious and robbing her.
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