Drug trade through Internet soaring, prosecution chief warns

BUSAN, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- International drug trafficking has soared with
growing Internet use, South Korea's prosecution chief warned Wednesday, calling
for international cooperation to crack down on tech-savvy narcotics dealers.
"Drug trade capitalizing on the Internet or international mail has soared,
presenting greater challenges to law enforcement authorities than conventional
crime," Lim Chai-jin, prosecutor-general of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, said
at an international conference on drug enforcement.
About 170 prosecutors and drug experts from 21 countries in the Asia-Pacific and
Europe gathered for the two-day Anti-Drug Liaison Officials' Meeting for
International Cooperation (ADLOMICO) in the southeastern port city of Busan to
discuss cross-border measures to curb rising online drug trade.
One of the key proposals is for the participating countries to establish a common
Internet server to exchange information on drug-related crimes and seek help in
arresting escapees. There are currently three such profiling programs created by
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration and the Japanese government, and their respective experts will
promote their programs at the meeting for broader use, officials said.
South Korea plans to join the U.N. profiling program and store fingerprint
information on hundreds of drug dealers in the U.N. server, they said.
International drug trafficking reignited public concern here this month when a
Nigerian man, identified as the leader of an international drug ring, was
extradited to Korea from China after years of escaping search efforts. Obioha
Frank Chinedu, 41, was accused of using Koreans to smuggle cocaine and hemp
abroad.