Number of drug cases in 2005 rises for first time in five years.

(From Mainichi Daily News)

The number of suspected drug users arrested or reported to prosecutors reached 13,346 in 2005, marking the first increase in five years, the National Police Agency (NPA) said.

Of them, 6,847, or 51.3 percent, were members of organized crime groups, suggesting that the trade in illegal drugs is a major source of revenue for the gangs.

About 80 percent of crime group members belonged …