Received 18.6 million won a day and administered propofol for 10 hours... Seven people, including a doctor, detained and indicted

10 hours portfolio... Wow...

Not only celebrities but also ordinary people have a very high dependence on propofol.

You must be especially careful outside of medical use.

Many people also think that propofol is a relatively safe drug...

Because of careless use, it can lead to death due to reasons such as apnea or arrhythmia.

You really need to be careful~

 

Doctor A, who illegally administered propofol to addicts, was caught by the prosecution. The box of propofol remaining after use by the patients administered by Doctor A. / Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office

 

Over 14 billion won worth of propofol was illegally administered over seven months, and numerous clinic officials and addicts have been arrested by the prosecution.

On the 20th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Special Investigation Team for Drug Crimes (Team Leader Kim Bo-sung, Head of Serious Crime Investigation) announced that six medical staff members, including Dr. Seo from A Clinic in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, who illegally sold and administered propofol, as well as one addict, have been detained and indicted, and 24 addicts have been indicted without detention.

Mr. Seo and others are accused of administering approximately 1.458 billion won worth of propofol and etomidate to propofol addicts over a total of 417 times at Clinic A from November 2023 to June 2024 for the purposes of sleep and hallucinations.

Propofol is a general anesthetic used for surgical anesthesia and sedation of patients on artificial ventilation, but some people also administer it for addiction purposes. Etomidate is also a general anesthetic called the "second propofol."

Clinic A systematically prepared for a propofol administration business. Mr. Seo and others set up a space within the clinic, known as the 'skin care room,' for propofol injections, and equipped it with beds, refrigerators, syringes, and safes. The overall manager, Mr. Yoon, was responsible for securing initial funds, and the founder, Mr. Lee, provided the hospital space.

Hospital administrator Park Moo secured a source of propofol, and counselor Jang Moo, who has experience working at a hospital with propofol abuse issues, managed sales and addicts using a list of addicts he possessed. Two nursing assistants, including Lee Moo, who also have hospital work experience, administered propofol to addicts. Violence personnel Kim Moo, responsible for managing and controlling the addicts, was also present on site. Doctor Seo reported false information to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's Narcotics Integrated Management System (NIMS), pretending it was a normal prescription of propofol.

They administered unlimited propofol to addicts based on the amount they paid. They received about 1 million won per hour for the injections. Considering that the cost of propofol is less than 10,000 won per hour, they profited over 100 times the cost. One addict paid 18.6 million won in a day and received injections for 10 hours and 24 minutes, and four other addicts paid between 130 million and 200 million won to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Mr. Seo received a total of 300 million won over five months as compensation for assisting with the crime. Of this, the amount given to the organizer, Mr. Lee, and other related payments, the actual profit is said to be as much as 200 million won.

An investigator stated, "Hospitals that administer general propofol typically disguise themselves as normal hospitals externally by performing procedures such as dermatological treatments that involve pain, but in the case of Hospital A, no such procedures were carried out." Essentially, it operated as a 'hospital exclusively for propofol addicts.'

 

A clinic doctor who illegally administered propofol to addicts was caught by the prosecution. The photo shows a woman who received propofol at Clinic A (left) boarding a taxi with the help of a nursing assistant. / Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office

 

The prosecution obtained information on related crimes during an analysis of hospitals and clinics involved in propofol abuse, conducted jointly with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety earlier this year. On June 18th, they identified Clinic A as the crime scene, and on June 27th, they raided the hospital and arrested four people, including the counseling director. These individuals were first brought to trial in July. Subsequently, in August, the founder and the office manager were detained, and in October, Dr. Seo was also detained. The prosecution is continuing to track the mastermind, Mr. Yoon, who is on the run.

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Based on the dependency and other factors of etomidate, we plan to actively recommend its classification as a controlled substance," and "Moving forward, we will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to strictly address illegal distribution of medical narcotics, thereby protecting public health and safety from drugs."

<Source: Chosun Ilbo>