Thousands of Injections Administered to BJs and Businesspeople
Illicit Profits of 600 Million Won Used to Fund a Luxurious Lifestyle
A nursing assistant who purchased thousands of doses of narcotics such as propofol by impersonating a doctor's identity and then visited the residences of internet broadcasters (BJs) and businesspeople to administer "house call injections" has been arrested and detained.
The Suseong Police Station in Daegu announced on December 29 that it had arrested and detained a nursing assistant, Ms. A (female, 45), affiliated with a certain dermatology clinic, on charges of violating the Special Act on the Control of Health Crimes, the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and the Narcotics Control Act. In addition, one habitual user was also detained, while two hospital staff members and three users were booked without detention.
Ms. A is suspected of illegally administering and selling narcotics such as etomidate and propofol to BJs, self-employed individuals, and small business owners over approximately four years since the end of 2021. She allegedly impersonated a doctor to purchase 7,000 bottles of 10ml etomidate and 110 bottles of 50ml propofol, then administered the drugs either in a storage room at the clinic or by visiting the residences of the users. To conceal the purchase and use of these narcotics, Ms. A falsified medical records and entered false information into the integrated narcotics management system.
Investigations revealed that Ms. A exploited the fact that there was no obligation to manage etomidate before it was designated as a narcotic by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and committed her crimes accordingly. After etomidate was designated as a narcotic and became more difficult to obtain, she continued her crimes by purchasing propofol. Etomidate, a sedative anesthetic often referred to as the "second propofol," was designated as a psychotropic narcotic in August of this year due to continued cases of illegal distribution.
Through these crimes, Ms. A is reported to have earned approximately 600 million won, leading a luxurious lifestyle in a high-end officetel, purchasing imported cars and luxury clothing. In contrast, some users lost all their assets due to illegal drug use and became credit delinquents.
The police plan to apply for a pre-indictment preservation order against Ms. A to recover the full amount of her illicit gains. A police official stated, "We will structurally block drug crimes by medical institution staff through simultaneous analysis of pharmaceutical distribution, management of medical institutions, and tracking of criminal proceeds."
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