Prosecutors to investigate 29 suspects for alleged involvement in Oh Jae-won drug case

Police on Wednesday sent 29 suspects, including nine Doosan Bears players, to the prosecution on suspicions of aiding former professional baseball player Oh Jae-won’s alleged drug use.

Former Doosan Bears infielder Oh Jae-won attends an arrest warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on March 21. [NEWS1]

Police on Wednesday sent 29 suspects, including nine Doosan Bears players, to the prosecution on suspicions of aiding former professional baseball player Oh Jae-won’s alleged drug use.

According to the Gangnam Police Precinct in Seoul, the suspects, which reportedly include 13 former and current professional baseball players and one Doosan Bears trainer, are accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act by allegedly getting prescribed psychotropic drugs such as Stilnox and Xanax on Oh's behalf. A parent of a student at Oh’s baseball academy was also sent to prosecution for their alleged involvement in the prescription scheme.

Two suspects who work at a hospital in the greater Seoul area were also sent to the prosecution on suspicions of illegally selling a large quantity of etomidate to the former baseball player. Etomidate is a type of anesthestic, categorized as an ethical drug, unlike propofol. Police accused the suspects of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

Oh was indicted in April on suspicions of using drugs and blackmailing and physically assaulting an acquaintance. He is suspected of using methamphetamine, more commonly known as “philopon” in Korea, 11 times from November 2022 through last November and storing 0.4 grams of methamphetamine near his acquaintance’s apartment last April.

Additionally, he is accused of receiving 2,242 tablets of Stilnox between last January and March this year from nine acquaintances and purchasing 20 tablets of Stilnox prescribed under his acquaintances' names.

He admitted to most of the allegations during his first trial held last month, including the drug use. However, he denied the alleged physical assault against his acquaintance, who has also been indicted for alleged drug use.

Police opened the investigation into Oh on suspicions of drug use on March 10 following a tip from one of his female acquaintances. He was indicted for allegedly violating the Narcotics Control Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes on April 17.

Oh, 39, played as an infielder for the Bears for 16 years, captaining the team to two KBO championship titles. He appeared in all seven Korean Series that the Bears competed in from 2015 to 2021 and was part of the gold medal-winning Korean teams of the 2014 Asian Games and 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12. Oh retired from professional baseball in 2022.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]