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AMM 170: Seoul Police Crack Down on Botox and Drug Rings
August 15, 2024
In this episode, we explore a significant operation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency targeting illegal medical practices and drug distribution. Listeners will learn about the arrest of 51 individuals involved in unauthorized botox procedures and pharmaceutical sales, including unqualified foreign practitioners and rogue local wholesalers. Key highlights include the story of a 33-year-old Vietnamese individual orchestrating illegal plastic surgeries and a 47-year-old Korean wholesaler exploiting legal loopholes to distribute drugs worth billions. The episode emphasizes the need for stringent reforms in the pharmaceutical distribution system to safeguard public health.
Quick Takes
- Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a significant operation targeting illegal medical practices and drug distribution
- Arrests were made, including a 33-year-old from Vietnam operating an illicit beauty shop and a 47-year-old Korean wholesaler engaging in illegal drug distribution
- The police highlighted the need for reform in monitoring drug exports to ensure health and safety standards in the pharmaceutical industry
Episode Transcript
Today, we delve into a significant operation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, revealing a broad crackdown on illegal medical practices and drug distribution. On August 1, the agency’s international criminal investigation team disclosed the arrest of 51 individuals involved in illicit botox procedures and pharmaceutical sales, detailing a troubling network spanning from unqualified foreign practitioners to rogue local wholesalers.
Among those arrested is a 33-year-old individual from Vietnam, identified only by the initial A. A set up a beauty shop illicitly in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, where he charged between 150,000 and 200,000 won for illegal plastic surgery procedures. Not only did A perform these unauthorized surgeries, but he also took on the role of educator, teaching plastic surgery techniques to six students who subsequently opened their own illegal operations.
Investigations also led to a 47-year-old Korean unauthorized wholesaler, merely referred to as B, who circumvented the law by distributing drugs under the pretense of exporting them. It was discovered that B has distributed drugs worth 9.4 billion won from May 2022 until April this year, exploiting a legal loophole that lacks stringent regulation for drug exports.
The current system, as criticized by the police, fails to adequately monitor drug exporters compared to licensed sellers, who must log sales details for oversight by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s General Center for Drug Management. According to the authorities, this area of the pharmaceutical distribution system necessitates significant reform to close existing legal gaps and ensure health and safety standards are universally upheld.
Today’s report, brought to you on August 15, 2024, underscores the ongoing challenges within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries globally and the need for stringent oversight to protect public health.
