'Drug Use' Don Spike Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison, Detained in Second Trial

Famous composer Don Spike (45, real name Kim Min-su), who was prosecuted on charges of drug use, was sentenced to prison and detained in court on the 15th during the appeal trial. The prosecutor's claim that "the suspended sentence given in the first trial was too lenient" was accepted.

Famous composer and businessman Don Spike (real name Kim Min-su), who is accused of drug use, is appearing at the Seoul Northern District Court in Dobong-gu, Seoul, on September 28 last year to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the 15th, the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Lee Chang-hyung) sentenced Don Spike to 2 years in prison in the appeal trial on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes related to psychotropic drugs. He was also ordered to complete an 80-hour rehabilitation program and pay a fine of about 39.8 million won. Furthermore, citing "risk of flight," the court issued an arrest warrant for Don Spike and detained him in court.

The court stated, "Drug crimes devastate an individual's mind and have serious adverse effects on society as a whole," and pointed out, "The defendant invited several people to use drugs together. Considering the duration and frequency of the crimes and the amount of drugs involved, the nature of the crime is quite serious."

It further explained, "It is necessary to consider fairness with accomplices who facilitated and abetted the defendant in repeatedly using drugs and purchasing methamphetamine. Given that the defendant was the main party in the transactions and the content of the crimes committed alone without relation to the accomplices, the defendant's culpability is by no means lighter than that of the accomplices who were sentenced to imprisonment."

Earlier, Don Spike was prosecuted for purchasing methamphetamine worth 45 million won nine times and using drugs 14 times since the end of 2021.

The first trial court sentenced him to 3 years in prison with a 5-year probation. It also ordered probation, 120 hours of community service, 80 hours of drug treatment lectures, and a fine of 39,857,500 won.

At the recent appeal trial's final hearing, the prosecution requested the court to sentence him to 5 years in prison, the same sentence requested in the first trial. The prosecutor said, "The defendant is not sincerely remorseful," "He repeatedly committed crimes about 30 times over approximately 10 months and possessed an amount of methamphetamine sufficient for over 3,000 uses," and "Although he is a celebrity with significant influence on the public, he even tried to conceal his crimes by putting accomplices forward instead of himself."

Don Spike's side made a final statement, saying, "Please consider that he immediately confessed to the crimes upon arrest and actively participated in the investigation by providing detailed information, and that he has made efforts to successfully reintegrate into society," and "We apologize for failing to be a model citizen. He deeply feels remorse, is reflecting on his mistakes, and will recover from addiction and act sincerely."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.