35 Arrested for Trading Appetite Suppressant 'Nabi-yak'... 19 Are Teenagers

Prescriptions Not Allowed for Under 16
Massive Crackdown on Teenage Violations

Thirty-five people who bought and sold prescription appetite suppressants classified as narcotics online were arrested. More than half of them, 19, were revealed to be teenagers.

According to the police on the 20th, the Nowon Police Station in Seoul arrested 35 people on charges of buying and selling appetite suppressants known as "Nabi-yak" (literally "butterfly medicine"), which are designated as narcotics.

They are accused of buying and selling the so-called "Nabi-yak," which is white and shaped like a butterfly bow tie, on social networking services (SNS) and other online platforms. Nabi-yak contains phentermine, a narcotic substance classified as a psychotropic drug. This medicine can only be purchased with a doctor's prescription and must not be prescribed to adolescents under the age of 16.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's "Safety Use Standards for Medical Narcotic Appetite Suppressants," narcotic appetite suppressants are classified into four types: phentermine, phendimetrazine, diethylpropion, and mazindol. They should be used only for up to 4 weeks and not exceed 3 months for obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.