Illegal Tattoo Supplies Smuggling Ring Including Anesthetic Cream Busted

A group involved in smuggling illegal anesthetic creams and other tattoo supplies into the country and distributing them on the market was caught by customs authorities. The tattoo supplies brought in by the group were found to contain anesthetic ingredients exceeding domestic permissible limits, which could cause fatal side effects.

The Busan Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service recently apprehended a smuggling ring involved in anesthetic creams containing anesthetic ingredients exceeding 1.5 times the approval standards set by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Photo by Korea Customs Service

On the 13th, the Busan Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service announced that it had arrested seven people, including Mr. A (in his 30s), on charges of smuggling and distributing 15,081 tattoo supplies such as illegal anesthetic creams containing anesthetic ingredients exceeding domestic limits by 1.5 times, tattoo needles, etc. (violations of the Customs Act, Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and Medical Device Act).

According to the Korea Customs Service, Mr. A and others established a company for organized smuggling and sales, disguising tattoo supplies to be sold domestically as personal use items such as shampoo and soap, and smuggled them through overseas direct purchase.

When using overseas direct purchase, personal use items under $150 (or $200 for shipments from the U.S.) can be imported into the country without formal import declaration, thus avoiding customs duties and other taxes, and are exempt from import requirements. The group exploited this customs clearance system.

Through this, Mr. A and others evaded the import requirements stipulated by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and Medical Device Act to smuggle tattoo supplies into the country.

Additionally, Mr. A and others falsely presented the smuggled anesthetic creams as approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the U.S. FDA, supplying them to tattoo shops nationwide.

The Korea Customs Service emphasized that recently, they also planned to sell tattoo supplies using platforms such as YouTube and AfreecaTV.

Mr. A and others also made unfair profits by selling the tattoo supplies at a price (15,000 won) seven times higher than the original import price (2,246 won) during distribution on the market.

Illegal tattoo anesthetic creams and other items seized by the Busan Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service are displayed. Provided by the Korea Customs Service

Most importantly, the Thai-made 'TKTX Anesthetic Cream' distributed by Mr. A and others was found, according to analysis by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, to contain 1.5 times the anesthetic ingredient content compared to anesthetic creams properly approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Mr. A and others also distributed ‘Tetracaine,’ which is not used domestically. This product is known to cause fatal side effects on the central nervous system such as skin discoloration, swelling, vomiting, and headaches even in very small amounts.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the U.S. FDA warn that inappropriate use of local anesthetics, such as excessive amounts, can lead to serious side effects including irregular heartbeat, seizures, respiratory distress, coma, or death.

Lee Dong-hyun, Director of the Investigation Bureau at Busan Customs Office, stated, “Cases of abusing the overseas direct purchase system to evade import requirements under individual laws are rapidly increasing recently,” and added, “The Korea Customs Service will continue to strictly crack down on the inflow of harmful goods such as illegal tattoo supplies that can endanger public health.”

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