Police Launch Investigation Into 10 Companies Suspected of Hoarding Syringes

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[The Financial News] Police have launched an investigation into 10 companies that were additionally accused by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of hoarding syringes.
The Korean National Police Agency said in a press notice on the 7th that it had assigned the cases to the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Units at the relevant provincial and metropolitan police agencies and ordered them to begin the investigation quickly, following the ministry's additional complaints the previous day against 10 companies suspected of hoarding syringes.
The cases were assigned to two units at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, one at the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, one at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, three at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, two at the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, and one at the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency.
Earlier, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted a special crackdown on syringe sellers from March 27 to 30 and found 34 companies that violated the notice banning syringe hoarding. Of those, 10 companies, including firms that continued the violations even after earlier detections, were reported to the police.
Police are also investigating four companies that were reported by the ministry on March 27 for suspected syringe hoarding. The cases were separately assigned to the anti-corruption and economic crime investigation units at the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, and Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency.
Police plan to recover illicit gains obtained through illegal acts by actively seeking pre-indictment preservation orders for the value of the hoarded goods. Article 29-2 of the Price Stabilization Act stipulates that goods related to such crimes shall be confiscated, and if confiscation is not possible, their value shall be collected.
A police official said, "We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and other relevant agencies and respond firmly to illegal acts that disrupt the distribution order of medical supplies until the end."
welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter