Propofol Administered 417 Times at Skin Care Clinic... 7 Including Doctor and Gang Member Face Trial

Propofol Administered for Sleep and Hallucination Purposes
Distributed Worth 1.46 Billion KRW in 7 Months

The prosecution uncovered a clinic that systematically sold and administered approximately 1.46 billion KRW worth of propofol illegally over 417 instances, and indicted six clinic-related personnel including doctors and counseling managers, as well as one addict, all of whom were detained.

It was revealed that a violent gang member acted as a fundraiser, and the counseling manager and nursing assistant, who came from medical institutions known for propofol abuse, joined forces to deliberately evade the health authorities' monitoring of medical narcotics.

Provided by Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office

On the 20th, the Special Investigation Team on Drug Crimes of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Kim Boseong, Head of the Violent Crime Investigation Division), in cooperation with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, announced that after intensively investigating illegal distribution of propofol since June, they booked a total of 32 individuals including 8 related to Clinic A and 24 addicts. Among them, six clinic-related personnel including doctors, office managers, and counseling managers, as well as one male addict in his 30s, were indicted while detained. The prosecution indicted the remaining 23 without detention, and suspended prosecution for the main perpetrator B, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

The clinic was found to have illegally sold approximately 1.46 billion KRW worth of propofol in just seven months, with doctors, office managers, medical institution founders, and even violent gang members collaborating. After identifying Clinic A, the prosecution arrested four clinic-related personnel within 10 days and uncovered a total of 32 suspects over four months. They also revealed that the clinic falsely reported to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety that propofol had been prescribed 873 times to 260 individuals who had not actually been administered the drug, in an attempt to conceal the crime. These offenses occurred from November of last year to June of this year.

Provided by Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office

The uncovered clinic was found to have sold and administered propofol for the purpose of sedation and hallucination, without disguising it as medical use such as skin or plastic surgery procedures, unlike previous illegal propofol administration methods. Inside the clinic, a ‘skin care room’ was equipped with beds, refrigerators, syringes, and other equipment necessary for propofol administration, but propofol was sold and administered without any actual procedures. The prosecution also seized a safe used to store cash received from propofol addicts and devices measuring oxygen saturation levels of the addicts.

A prosecution official stated, “To strictly respond to the increasing abuse of medical narcotics and the secondary damage caused by it, we have established a permanent ‘Medical Narcotics Special Investigation Team’ to directly investigate such crimes,” adding, “We will continue to protect public health and safety from drugs.”

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