In efforts to clamp down on drug trafficking, South Korea will expand its overall detection capabilities and strengthen cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies, the government said Friday.

The Korea Customs Service said in a meeting of senior officials that there is growing urgency to cope with an influx of illegal substances with the methods being used becoming more diverse and difficult to detect.

Last year, the KCS and local law enforcement agencies caught 308 shipments of illegal drugs totaling 71.7 kilograms. The amount confiscated is estimated to have a street value of some 150 billion won ($126.8 million), the largest amount since 2003.

In the first eight months of this year, authorities caught 187 shipments totaling 42.5 kilograms and worth some 79 billion won.

This is on par with the same period last year.

"In the past, most drugs entered the country by way of travelers, mail or express cargo, but nowadays merchant sailors are acting as carriers with more and more narcotics being shipped by general freight," the KCS said.

To deal effectively with such developments, more hightech X-rays and sniffer dogs will be employed as well as better training for customs personnel, it said.

The customs service said it will expand cooperation with foreign agencies such as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations to get more information on potential traffickers.

The KCS said it will also work more closely with civic groups and conduct a nationwide anti-drug campaign to warn the public of the risks associated with substance addiction. (Yonhap)