South Korean Doctors Arrested for Illegal Narcotic Administration and Patient Filming; Police Urge Dexmedetomidine Regulation
Key Insights
Fourteen individuals, including two doctors, were referred to prosecution for illegally administering medical narcotics such as propofol and ketamine 182 times over two years under the guise of cosmetic procedures.
One doctor was additionally arrested for illegally filming sedated patients 27 times; criminal proceeds from the scheme totaled approximately 457 million won.
Police identified dexmedetomidine as a newly abused sedative substitute and formally requested the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (search) review its designation as a regulated narcotic.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (search)'s Narcotics Crime Investigation Division announced on July 26 that 14 individuals—including two practicing physicians, an administrative manager, and 11 drug recipients—have been referred to the prosecution on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. One doctor, identified as Dr. A, was arrested and faces additional charges under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes for illegally filming sedated patients.
Scope of the Illegal Operation
According to police, Dr. A illegally administered drugs such as propofol a total of 71 times at his clinic between November 2021 and November 2023, charging 350,000 won per session to seven patients who sought treatment for sleep. The procedures were conducted under the pretense of cosmetic treatments. Confirmed criminal proceeds from Dr. A's activities amount to approximately 40 million won, though police believe unreported cash transactions may have generated even greater profits.
A co-practicing physician, Dr. C, is alleged to have illegally administered propofol and ketamine a total of 111 times to eight patients between July 2022 and June 2023 using identical methods, illicitly obtaining approximately 417 million won. Combined, the two doctors administered medical narcotics 182 times, with total criminal proceeds reaching 457 million won.
Kang Seon-bong, Head of Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit 1 at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (search), stated that "to evade narcotics monitoring networks and maintain the user's sleep state for a long time, the sleep anesthetics dexmedetomidine and etomidate were administered in combination with existing narcotics."
Patterns of Abuse and Evasion
Police investigations revealed that Dr. A and Dr. C administered sedatives based on payment amounts rather than legitimate medical needs. Cosmetic procedures were either skipped entirely or performed only superficially. The illegal administrations predominantly occurred in single rooms during late hours after official operating times or on holidays when the hospital was closed.
To evade detection by narcotics monitoring systems, the doctors administered dexmedetomidine—a general anesthetic—and deliberately failed to record medical charts or report narcotics handling as required. The cost per administration of medical narcotics such as propofol was marked up to 32 times the drug's actual price.
Patient Demographics and Extreme Usage Patterns
Of the 11 recipients identified, nine were in their thirties and two were in their forties. The scale of abuse was substantial: some recipients paid as much as 13.5 million won in a single day or remained at the clinic for up to 13 hours. One recipient visited the clinic 64 times over 11 months, spending a total of 253 million won.
Major recipient B was arrested and detained after a residential search uncovered possession of cocaine in addition to the illegally administered medical narcotics. B and 10 other recipients are believed to have been illegally administered medical narcotics between 1 and 64 times each for the purpose of sleep.
Illegal Filming and Additional Charges
Dr. A is also accused of illegally filming the bodies of patients under sedation from July 2021 to February 2022. According to police, the doctor filmed a user who fell asleep under the influence of drugs 27 times, leading to his arrest on sexual crime charges in addition to narcotics violations.
Regulatory Implications: Dexmedetomidine Under Scrutiny
The police stated that this case marks the first instance in which dexmedetomidine has been identified as being abused as a substitute for medical narcotics. Dexmedetomidine is a compound in the same class as medetomidine, a veterinary anesthetic for which the need for regulation has recently been highlighted due to its abuse as a substitute for new types of narcotics.
The police have formally requested that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (search) review the designation of dexmedetomidine as a regulated narcotic. A police official emphasized the urgency of proactive regulation, stating: "Recently, drugs in the sedative class are being widely misused for purposes other than legitimate medical care. After etomidate was ultimately classified as a narcotic 13 years after concerns about its abuse arose, it is crucial that similar drugs now be proactively and thoroughly reviewed so that history does not repeat itself." Etomidate was designated as a narcotic in February of this year.