Police announce record seizure of 'zombie cigarette' drug etomidate

Kaohsiung, Nov. 27 (CNA) Police announced they have seized 135 kilograms (kg) of etomidate, a Category II narcotic commonly consumed using e-cigarette (vaping) devices, in the largest-ever single seizure of the recreational drug in Taiwan's history.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the National Police Agency said they identified a suspicious shipment at Kaohsiung International Airport on Oct. 8 using x-ray technology, which was found to contain 27 bags of etomidate powder hidden inside.

Police traced and apprehended the intended recipient of the shipment, a man identified by his surname Yeh (葉), in Kaohsiung's Renwu District on Oct. 11.

Yeh, 34, is suspected of contacting a drug trafficking group in May 2023 and paying NT$300,000 to purchase shipments.

The Ciaotou District Prosecutors Office, which directed the investigation, said it has decided to indict Yeh for violations of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act and recommended a 15-year sentence.

The prosecutors said at the same press conference that the shipment of etomidate -- a short-acting medical anesthetic that has grown in popularity as a recreational drug in recent years -- could potentially have been used to produce 1.35 million "zombie cigarettes" worth an estimated street value of NT$2.7 billion.

At the time of Yeh's arrest, etomidate was a Category III drug. The substance, which has been implicated in fatal traffic accidents including one in July that resulted in the deaths of two police officers, was reclassified by the Ministry of Justice as a more-serious Category II narcotic on Nov. 14.

According to the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, individuals convicted of using Category II narcotics -- which currently include etomidate, marijuana, and fentanyl -- face a maximum sentence of three years in prison.