Fake doctor's ID used to buy 7,000 vials of anesthetics: police

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Korean police have booked a nurse aide and seven others over the illegal sale and repeated administration of anesthetic drugs obtained by impersonating a physician.

The Daegu Suseong Police Station said Monday it was investigating eight people, including a 45-year-old nurse aide at a dermatology clinic in Daegu, a hospital official with supervisory responsibilities and several recipients of the drugs, for alleged violations of the Narcotics Control Act.

Two suspects, including the nurse aide and a habitual user, are currently in custody.

Police allege the nurse aide illegally administered and sold the anesthetics etomidate and propofol from late 2021 through this year, targeting internet streamers, self-employed individuals and small-business owners.

Authorities said the drugs were injected thousands of times, either inside hospital storage areas or at recipients’ homes.

According to investigators, the nurse aide used a doctor’s name without authorization to purchase about 7,000 vials of etomidate, each containing 10 milliliters, and 110 vials of propofol, each containing 50 milliliters.

She is also suspected of falsifying hundreds of medical records and entering false information into the national drug monitoring system to conceal the illicit use.

Police said the suspect exploited the fact that etomidate was not previously subject to mandatory handling reports to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

After suppliers halted distribution when the drug was designated a controlled substance, she allegedly increased purchases of propofol and continued the injections.

Authorities estimate that the suspect earned about 600 million won ($418,000) from the scheme, which they say was used to buy a high-end officetel apartment, a foreign luxury car and designer clothing.

Police said they are expanding the investigation by analyzing pharmaceutical distribution channels, reviewing medical facility management practices and tracing criminal proceeds.

Etomidate, often described as a “second propofol,” is a sedative anesthetic that induces severe drowsiness and respiratory suppression. In some countries, e-cigarettes containing the drug have been referred to as “zombie vapes.” Korea designated etomidate as a psychotropic narcotic in August.