▲ Prosecutor. ⓒNew Daily DB
A large number of doctors and other medical personnel were caught by the prosecution for illegally selling and administering medical narcotics, including propofol, worth 1.5 billion won over a period of 7 months on a total of 417 occasions.
On the 20th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Drug Crime Special Investigation Team (Violent Crime Investigation Department Head Kim Bo-seong) worked with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to trial 8 people associated with Clinic A and 24 drug users (indictment suspended for 1 general manager) on charges of violation of the Narcotic Drugs Control Act (hypothesia). It was announced that it had been handed over to .
Eight people, including Dr. Seo (64) of Clinic A, illegally sold propofol and etomidate worth approximately 1.458 billion won on a total of 417 occasions for the purpose of sleep and hallucinations at the hospital from November last year to June this year. ·He is suspected of taking drugs.
The prosecution believed that they set up a separate space called a ‘skin care room’ separate from the treatment room and illegally administered propofol there.
At Clinic A, it was discovered that the head of the counseling department, Mr. Jang (28), decided the dosage based on the payment amount, and then nursing assistants, including Mr. Gil (40), administered the medication by injecting the drug without the doctor’s management or supervision.
When administering two propofol 20ml (1%) in one hour, the cost is only about 6,500 to 8,100 won, but according to the ledger, when they administer about 25ml of ampoules, the cost is about 7.5 million won, which is about 920 times the cost. It was also revealed that .
It was also confirmed that Clinic A received patients anonymously, even in the early hours of the morning, at the request of those who administered the medication, and had a safe and cash counter installed inside, and received fees in cash or made payments through bank transfer.
It was also investigated that Mr. Yoon (47), the leader who is on the run after being accused of leading the illegal drug administration, recruited doctors such as Mr. Seo through a broker and collected fees. It was also confirmed that Mr. Seo participated in the crime after being promised a profit of 5 million won per month and pocketed about 200 million won over 5 months.
It was also investigated that Mr. Yoon and others secretly stole the name of another doctor working at Clinic A after Mr. Seo got away with the crime and continued to prescribe propofol.
Since last February, the prosecution has formed a specialized investigation team for medical narcotics and, jointly with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, analyzed a large amount of data, including the prescription history of hospitals and clinics that misused propofol, and reportedly uncovered illegal activities against Clinic A in the process.
The prosecution explained, “The professional investigation team is creating a database of misuse patterns by type of medical narcotics, distribution market characteristics, investigation cases, and research results, and is pursuing the introduction of an artificial intelligence (AI) program for large-scale evidence analysis.”
What were the key factors that influenced your decision to participate in the illegal drug administration case despite your extensive medical background?
Interviewer: Good day to both of you. My name is [Your Name], and I am the editor of world-today-news.com. We have here with us today Dr. Jang, the head counselor of Clinic A, and Mr. Yoon, a recruiter of doctors for illegal drug administration cases. Welcome to the show.
Dr. Jang: Thank you for having us.
Mr. Yoon: You’re welcome.
Interviewer: First of all, can you both tell us a bit about your background and how you got involved in this illegal drug administration case?
Dr. Jang: Sure. I’ve been working as a medical professional for over 20 years now, and I was approached by Mr. Yoon about a year ago regarding an opportunity to make some extra money on the side. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when he explained the details, I couldn’t resist the temptation. I agreed to participate in these activities without realizing the seriousness of the consequences.
Mr. Yoon: Well, it’s not difficult to convince people like Dr. Jang when you’re offering them so much money. I’ve been running this operation for quite some time now, and I’ve always relied on recruiting trustworthy doctors like him to ensure the smooth operations of our business. We never thought we would get caught, so it’s quite shocking to be in this situation now.
Interviewer: And what was the extent of your involvement in this case?
Dr. Jang: As the head counselor, I decided the dosage based on the payment amount, and our nursing assistants, including Mr. Gil, administered the medication without the doctor’s management or supervision. We had a separate space called the ‘skin care room’ where these activities took place.
Mr. Yoon: My role was more on the managerial side. I collected fees from the clients and ensured that everything ran smoothly. I also dealt with the brokers who found us new doctors when the need arose.
Interviewer: The prosecution found that you were charging a markup of about 920 times the regular cost of the drugs. Can you explain how you justified this
