Man Who Breathed Through Plastic Bag Arrested by Police and Reason Revealed

Inhalation of Hallucinogens... Detected Through Citizen Reports

On the 28th of last month, a man was seen inhaling thinner by pressing a plastic bag to his nose in an alley in Gangnam. [Photo by YouTube 'Seoul Police' video capture]

A man inhaling a hallucinogenic substance (referred to as XX) was arrested by the police in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul.

On the 12th, the YouTube channel 'Seoul Police' released a video titled "Man Inhaling XX on the Street, Police Dispatch and On-Site Arrest." The video showed delivery worker Mr. A repeatedly inhaling from a white plastic bag with his nose and mouth in the middle of a street in Gangnam, Seoul, last August.

Mr. A was arrested by the police following a citizen's report stating, "A delivery worker is inhaling XX." The 112 emergency call center identified his appearance and location through a real-time surveillance camera monitoring system and quickly relayed the information to the local police, enabling Mr. A to be caught in the act.

When the dispatched police found Mr. A, he was still inhaling XX. Evidence used for inhaling XX was found on Mr. A's delivery motorcycle.

After the video was released, netizens responded with comments such as "In the middle of Gangnam? So fearless," "No longer a drug-free country," "Where is everyone getting these drugs from," "Is he trying to get caught by the police," "The drug problem seems to have become really serious recently," "I thought this was a foreign story just from the title," "Increase drug penalties significantly," and "What has happened to South Korea."

Meanwhile, XX is classified as a hallucinogenic substance under the Chemical Substances Control Act. According to the Act, consuming or inhaling hallucinogenic substances is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.