Bangkok police arrest suspect for selling drug-laced ‘zombie e-cigarettes’
Police apprehended a suspect in the Ram Inthra area of Bangkok for allegedly producing and selling illegal zombie e-cigarettes laced with anaesthetic drugs. Etomidate, a substance sourced from China, was mixed locally before being sold to nightlife tourists.
Yesterday, March 11, Police Major General Pattanasak Bupphasuwan, commander of the Consumer Protection Police Division, led a team to search a condominium in Ram Inthra. The operation followed an investigation revealing the illegal production and sale of e-cigarettes containing dangerous substances.
During the raid, police detained 39 year old Kanchai, seizing over 300 specially made zombie e-cigarette cartridges containing the anaesthetic etomidate. Police also discovered 12 bottles of etomidate and numerous e-cigarette production tools.
Maj. Gen. Pattanasak explained that etomidate was mixed into the e-cigarette liquid to enhance intoxication effects, making the product popular among night-time revellers, especially at entertainment venues and tourist hotspots. This poses a significant danger to users.
Investigations uncovered that sales were made through open chat groups on the LINE application. The police orchestrated a sting operation and traced financial transactions, identifying Kanchai as a major player who mixed the banned substance within Thailand.
He operated a cannabis shop in Ram Inthra and used his condominium as a production site, distributing the zombie e-cigarettes online.
Kanchai’s case marks the first instance in Thailand where etomidate has been mixed into e-cigarette liquids domestically, as such products are usually smuggled from abroad. Police Colonel Kraiwit Leelasiri, superintendent of the Consumer Protection Police Division, stated that Kanchai admitted to purchasing the e-cigarette liquid from regular chemical suppliers, while the etomidate was sourced from a Chinese smuggler, reported KhaoSod.
He then combined the substances and sold the product online for 2,200 baht (US$65) per cartridge. This operation had been running for approximately three to four months, generating an average daily income of 20,000 baht (US$593).
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