Prosecutors Indict Doctors for Illegal Prescription of Thousands of 'Zombie Drug' Fentanyl Sheets in 'First Case'

Doctors who illegally prescribed thousands of fentanyl patches, a narcotic painkiller known as the "zombie drug," have been brought to trial. This is the first time a doctor has been arrested and prosecuted for the illegal distribution of medical narcotics.

The Special Investigation Team for Drug Crimes at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Team Leader Shin Junho, Head of the Violent Crime Investigation Department) referred family medicine doctor Shin Mo (59) and others to trial on the 27th for prescribing over 4,000 fentanyl patches to drug addicts. The photo shows the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung.

The Special Investigation Team for Drug Crimes at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Team Leader Shin Junho, Head of the Violent Crime Investigation Division) on the 27th arrested and indicted family medicine doctor Shin Mo (59) for prescribing about 4,000 fentanyl patches to a drug addict, and non-arrestedly indicted orthopedic doctor Lim Mo (42) for prescribing about 600 patches to the same addict. The addict Kim Mo (30), who received a total of over 7,000 fentanyl patches from 16 hospitals over three years, was also arrested and indicted.

Shin is accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act by prescribing 4,826 high-dose patches 304 times without examination, solely based on Kim’s claims from November 2020 to April this year that he had "lumbar disc pain" and had "been prescribed fentanyl patches at other hospitals." Lim is also accused of prescribing 686 high-dose fentanyl patches 56 times from June to November 2021, based only on Kim’s statements.

Kim, a fentanyl addict, was confirmed to have visited a total of 16 hospitals, including those of Shin and Lim, from January 2020 to April this year, obtaining a total of 7,655 fentanyl patches under the pretext of lumbar disc pain and other complaints.

He not only self-administered the prescribed fentanyl but also sold about 120 patches, was caught, and sentenced to a suspended prison term, yet continued his criminal activities.

Fentanyl is known as the so-called "zombie drug." It is a powerful narcotic painkiller used only in a limited way for patients suffering from extreme pain, such as terminal cancer patients. Its sedative effect is about 100 times stronger than morphine, but due to its addictive nature and side effects, over 70,000 people died from fentanyl addiction in the United States alone in 2021.

In March, the prosecution, together with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, analyzed fentanyl prescription records from 42 hospitals and clinics in the Seoul area and detected evidence of these crimes. The prosecution also notified the Ministry of Health and Welfare to request administrative action to revoke their medical licenses.

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