The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety's Busan Regional Office said on the 24th that it arrested six people, including the alleged ringleader A, in their 40s, and wholesale drug distributor CEO B, in their 40s, on suspicion of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act by illegally distributing and selling prescription drugs such as the general anesthetic etomidate and anabolic steroids, and that A was taken into custody.
According to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, A, despite not being a pharmacy operator or a wholesaler, sold prescription drugs worth a little over 4.4 billion won a total of 12,155 times over about four years, from Aug. 2021 to Mar. 2025, to gym trainers and others.
In particular, A illegally distributed 1,600 boxes (160,000 mL) of etomidate. That is enough for up to 320,000 people to be dosed at the same time.
A and others were found to have taken orders via overseas messengers, shipped nationwide by courier and quick service, and evaded investigators by using bank accounts under borrowed names, changing the listed shipping origin, and deleting chats.
Etomidate is a prescription drug used under medical supervision due to the risk of serious side effects such as respiratory depression and loss of consciousness, and it was recently designated as a narcotic, tightening controls. Anabolic steroids also carry a high risk of side effects, including impaired liver and kidney function, and are prohibited without a doctor's prescription.