BJ Seya (real name Park Dae-se) — who was indicted on drug use charges — was sentenced to prison again in the second trial.
According to Yonhap News Agency, on the 29th the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-3 (Presiding Judges Lee Ye-seul, Jeong Jae-o and Choi Eun-jeong) sentenced Seya, who was tried on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (psychotropic drugs), to two years in prison and 40 hours of drug addiction treatment.
Seya is accused of purchasing and using ketamine, ecstasy and marijuana worth about 150 million won from June 2021 to August 2023, and of receiving drugs from a YouTuber with a background in organized crime and using them with acquaintances at his home. He turned himself in to the police in March 2023 by revealing drug use during a live broadcast and was arrested and indicted in October last year.
In April, the first trial court said, "The period of drug use was long, the quantity was considerable and the types were varied. It is difficult to deny that there are some antisocial signs from using drugs without much constraint," and sentenced him to three years and six months in prison.
However, Seya has maintained that he did not know about or possess the small amount of ketamine found at his residence. The second trial court acknowledged, "From the investigation stage the defendant who turned himself in does not appear to have fabricated possession circumstances only for this part, and it also seems possible that residual ketamine remaining from prior use was found at the residence."
However, the court, as in the first trial, found him guilty of the charge of using large amounts of drugs over a long period. It said, "Drug crimes are highly dangerous to not only individuals but also public safety because of their addictive and hallucinogenic effects. The defendant's drug dependence is considerable, and there seems to be a limit to his ability to quit by his own will." The court determined the sentence considering that Seya showed some willingness to quit and has no prior record of punishments exceeding fines.
Seya had been active under the name BJ Seya on AfreecaTV since 2008.
[Photo] Source: AfreecaTV.
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