"Posing as Doctors in White Coats"...17 Referred to Prosecution for Illegal Distribution of General Anesthetics

Ten, Including Head of Pharmaceutical Wholesaler, Referred in Custody
Gang Members and Drug Offenders Acted as Intermediary Distributors
Etomidate Designated as Narcotic; Law Takes Effect on 13th

Seventeen people, including the head of a pharmaceutical wholesale corporation who siphoned off a general anesthetic nicknamed the "second propofol" by disguising it as an export and then distributing it illegally, as well as gang members involved in the scheme, have been handed over to the prosecution.

On the 11th, the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it had referred 10 people, including the head of the pharmaceutical wholesale corporation, Mr. A, and gang member Mr. B, to the prosecution in custody on charges of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and an additional 7 people, including employees and drug sellers, without detention.

The Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 11th disclosed the injection tools seized at a Gangnam-gu, Seoul location where the general anesthetic etomidate had been illegally administered.

According to the police, from October 2024 to June last year, Mr. A and others are suspected of illegally selling 3,160 boxes (31,600 ampoules) of the general anesthetic etomidate at locations other than licensed stores to three unqualified individuals, including gang member Mr. B. In the process, they allegedly disguised the drugs procured from a pharmaceutical company as exports to overseas destinations such as Vietnam, or as transactions between two corporations represented by Mr. A himself, then passed them on to an intermediary distributor, thereby obtaining approximately 400 million won.

Gang member Mr. B and drug offender Mr. C, acting as intermediary distributors, are suspected of selling the drugs they received from Mr. A to drug sellers at 300,000 to 350,000 won per box. In the case of Mr. C, additional charges of receiving and using methamphetamine were uncovered during the investigation. In addition, 12 people including illegal clinic operator Mr. D are suspected of running a treatment facility made to look like a dermatology clinic or administering etomidate to 44 people via "visiting injections," charging 200,000 won per ampoule.

The police investigation found that Mr. D and his associates had opened a skin clinic in central Gangnam-gu, Seoul, with a signboard and interior similar to those of a dermatology clinic. They wore white coats and posed as doctors, and hired assistant nurses and drivers to operate in an organized manner. They ran the establishment on a reservation-only basis through an overseas messenger service and used bank accounts under borrowed names to evade tracking. It was confirmed that workers at entertainment venues suffering from sleep disorders were the main targets for administration.

Kang Seonbong, Investigation Section Chief of the Drug Crime Investigation Division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, is briefing at the agency's Mapo office on the 11th. O Jieun, Reporter

While investigating the misuse and abuse of medical narcotics and etomidate, the police received intelligence in January last year that an illegal clinic was operating in the Gangnam area. They subsequently arrested 17 people including Mr. A and seized 49 million won in cash. They also obtained a pre-indictment preservation order from the court for property worth approximately 423 million won, including vehicles. The police notified the Korea Customs Service and the competent tax office of Mr. A's false export declarations and tax evasion uncovered during the investigation.

Etomidate, which has similar effects and usage to propofol, had not been classified as a narcotic until now and thus evaded strict legal requirements such as mandatory handling and reporting obligations. Working with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which is the competent authority for narcotics control, the police pushed through a legal amendment at the end of last year to designate it as a narcotic. Starting on the 13th, when the amended Enforcement Decree of the Narcotics Control Act takes effect, failure to comply with narcotics handling obligations for etomidate will be subject to criminal penalties.

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