Over 50 Days After Arrest ... "Police Investigation Can't Keep Up With Drugs"

Despite police apprehending a man in his 30s dubbed the 'Suwon drug zombie' on social media at the scene, over 50 days have passed without determining whether he used drugs at that time, raising concerns that the police investigation system is falling behind the rapidly spreading drug types in circulation.

According to the Suwon Gwonseon Police Station and others on the 18th, a detailed hair analysis of a man in his 30s, identified as A, who is accused of violating the Controlled Substances Act, showed a positive reaction for drugs.

A is the person in a video that spread through SNS on June 21. The image of him standing for an extended period with a hunched back and drooping arms sparked reactions reminiscent of a so-called 'zombie,' leading to suspicions of drug use.

Police located A at the time and conducted a quick reagent test, which showed a positive result for methamphetamine, leading to an emergency arrest. However, a preliminary examination by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation showed no drug reaction, and A was released. A subsequent detailed urine test also returned negative for drugs.

Police continued the investigation and conducted a detailed analysis of A's hair. In early this month, they also conducted a search and seizure of his residence to determine drug use through mobile phone digital forensics and other means.

However, police explain that the hair analysis results alone cannot confirm that A used drugs on June 21.

A police official stated, "In urine tests, it becomes difficult to confirm drug use after about a week," and "Hair is usually analyzed for about one year's worth, so whether drug was used on June 21 specifically must be confirmed through additional investigation."

According to police, A visited a hospital once a month recently and was prescribed nerve stabilizers and other medications. The prescribed medications contain multiple components including psychoactive substances, sleeping pills, and sleep-inducing agents, so police are investigating the circumstances of use and whether the components found in the hair were prescribed.

Over 50 days have passed since June 21, the date that sparked the investigation, but police have yet to determine whether A's abnormal behavior at that time was due to drug use.

As novel drugs are spreading rapidly, concerns are being raised that the police investigation system is failing to keep pace with the times.

Lee Soo-jung, a professor of criminal psychology at Kyonggi University, stated, "As novel drugs emerge, there are cases where drugs are not extracted using traditional methods," and "Drugs with rapid absorption are not detected in urine and must be extracted through hair or detailed testing in some cases."

He added, "This case appears to suggest that police are not yet prepared to respond to such novel drugs," and pointed out, "A separate dedicated team or forensic science team related to drugs should be operated."

Police plan to summon A on the 20th to investigate the circumstances of use of the components found in the hair, whether they were prescribed, and whether drugs were used on June 21.