Online drug trafficking spiked last year, data showed, likely due to the continued spread of the internet and COVID-19.

The data from the National Police Agency said 2,608 people were detained last year for trading drugs online. The corresponding figures stood at 1,120 in 2016, 1,100 in 2017, 1,516 in 2018 and 2,109 in 2019. In all, the number of drug offenders detained by police soared 133 percent in the four years between 2016 and 2019.

The total number of drug offenders also increased by about 38 percent from 8,853 in 2016 to 12,209 last year. (Yonhap)