Fake clinic caught illegally selling anesthetic to addicts
A drug ring operating out of a fake skin clinic in southern Seoul sold more than 1 billion won ($719,000) worth of etomidate ? a powerful anesthetic ? to addicts while pretending to export the drug overseas, prosecutors announced Monday.
The Medical Narcotics Investigation Team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it has indicted five people, including the CEO of a pharmaceutical wholesaler surnamed Lee, on charges including violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. Four others were indicted without detention.
According to prosecutors, Lee sold 35,000 milliliters (1,183 ounces) of etomidate to a former employee, surnamed Choi, for 100 million won ($71,000) between May and August of last year. Although the drugs were falsely reported as exports to Thailand, they were instead diverted to Korea’s domestic black market.
Korean law does not count export activity as “sales” under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, allowing Lee to sidestep regulations through deceptive export filings. Authorities became suspicious when they noticed export packages to Thailand were unusually light. Upon contacting the supposed Thai recipient, officials learned no anesthetics had been ordered ? only cosmetic products.
Investigators traced the drugs to a fake dermatology clinic, set up in Gangnam District, where the ring administered etomidate directly to addicts. Between May 2023 and January, the group conducted over 600 transactions, earning roughly 1.07 billion won.
The operation ran as a structured enterprise, with assigned roles including clinic operators, financial handlers, nurses and a nominal head. A former plastic surgery clinic coordinator surnamed Yang acted as the recruiter, connecting clients to the illegal service.
After residents tipped off police about suspected drug activity, the group moved operations to private residences to avoid detection. Prosecutors said some addicts paid up to 15.8 million won in a single day for as many as 79 doses.
Wholesale, a 10-milliliter ampoule of etomidate cost 4,200 won, but it was resold at every stage: 28,000 won to mid-level suppliers, 52,000 won to dealers, and 200,000 won to end users ? nearly 47 times the original price.
Etomidate, a general anesthetic with effects similar to propofol, has seen rising abuse rates despite not being classified as a narcotic. As a result, violators face only light penalties under current pharmaceutical laws, and users carry no criminal liability.
In October 2020, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety labeled etomidate a “medication prone to misuse and abuse.” A proposed amendment to formally classify it as a narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act was announced in February and is currently under parliamentary review.
Prosecutors have urged the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service to tighten oversight of pharmaceuticals marked for export to help prevent illegal domestic sales before the reclassification takes effect.