Incheon Special Judicial Police Nab 3 Firms for Illegal Drug Distribution at Wholesalers and Pharmacies

The Incheon Metropolitan Government’s Special Judicial Police carried out an intensive crackdown on illegal distribution and sales at pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacies within the city, catching three businesses that violated the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. The measure aims to safeguard the safety and quality of the medicines citizens encounter every day, starting from the distribution stage.

[코리안투데이] A scene from the Incheon Special Judicial Police’s distribution-management crackdown at a pharmaceutical wholesaler © 장형임 기자

The Incheon Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Chan-dae) Special Judicial Police announced that it conducted an intensive crackdown on illegal drug distribution and sales at pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacies within the city from Sept. 3 to Sept. 11, catching three businesses that violated the relevant statutes.

The crackdown was arranged to check whether the safety and quality of medicines are maintained from manufacturing through distribution and sale until they reach the hands of citizens. It focused on preemptively blocking health hazards arising from improper and illegal distribution.

The violations fell into the following categories: ▲one case of using a drug storage facility for purposes other than supply, ▲one case of a pharmaceutical wholesaler failing to conduct in-house training, and ▲one case of storing expired medicines for the purpose of sale.

In the major cases, wholesaler A was found to have used its storage facility for purposes other than supply by keeping items such as an ice box, shoes and document files alongside the medicines. Wholesaler B failed for four years to provide the annual 24 hours of in-house training required for its staff on the handling and quality control of medicines, including damage, deterioration, contamination and expiration. Pharmacy C was found to have stored 11 units across eight types of expired prescription drugs in its dispensing room for the purpose of sale.

The current Pharmaceutical Affairs Act sets out the obligations that pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacy operators must observe during the distribution management process to ensure the safety and quality of medicines. Violations can result in imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won, and may also be followed by administrative measures such as business suspension.

The city’s Special Judicial Police plans to refer the three businesses to the prosecution after completing investigative procedures, including questioning of the suspects. Because consumers cannot easily verify expired medicines or poorly managed distribution channels themselves, crackdowns such as this serve as a safety net that filters out hazards of which citizens may be unaware.

Choi Jong-mun, head of the city’s Special Judicial Police Division, said, ‘We will continue conducting crackdowns to preemptively block hazards that can arise during the distribution and sale of medicines,’ adding, ‘We will keep inspecting the entire process from drug manufacturing to distribution and sale, so as to create an environment in which citizens can use medicines with peace of mind.’

지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화