Thailand

Pharmaceutical imports investigated after traces of diazepam detected in narcotics cocktail

Published

Friday, January 15, 2021 11:02

PHOTO: Prachachat

Pharmaceutical imports are being investigated after traces of the anti-anxiety pill diazepam were detected in the ketamine-based drug cocktail, known as “K powdered milk.” The narcotic cocktail is suspected of causing 7 deaths in Bangkok.

The Food and Drug Administration oversees imports of diazepam, also known by the brand name Valium, and has been asked to send a list of distributors over to the Narcotics Control Board for review. The Customs Department has also been asked to examine imports of pharmaceuticals.

Secretary general of the narcotics board, Vichai Chaimongkol, says diazepam is not available over the counter in Thailand. (Although, some pharmacies have been known to sell Valium without a doctor’s prescription.) He says authorities are investigating to find the source of the pharmaceutical drugs detected in the narcotic cocktail.

“From our initial investigation, the diazepam is likely to have been smuggled from abroad, or smuggled out of pharmacies.”

“K powdered milk is ketamine laced with a variety of narcotics. Police say it contains traces of heroin, methamphetamine, sleeping medication and diazepam. Apparently, there’s also another ketamine-based drug cocktail called “Talaysai,” which is apparently much stronger than “K powdered milk,” a friend of an apparent overdose victim told police.

Vichai says he suspects the drug cocktail containing diazepam is produced in a large scale operation, adding it’s unlikely a small-scale dealer would mix in the pharmaceutical drugs because it would be too expensive.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.

Get more from The Thaiger

📱 Download our app on Android or iOS
👋 Have your say on our Thailand forums
🔔 Subscribe to our daily email newsletter
📺 Subscribe / Join YouTube for daily shows
👍 Like/Follow us on Facebook
🐦 FOLLOW us on Twitter
📷 FOLLOW us on Instagram

Join the conversation and have your say on Thailand news published on The Thaiger.

Thaiger Talk is our new Thaiger Community where you can join the discussion on everything happening in Thailand right now.

Please note that articles are not posted to the forum instantly and can take up to 20 min before being visible. Click for more information and the Thaiger Talk Guidelines.

Create an Account

1 Comment

Ynwaps

Friday, January 15, 2021 at 11:56 am

Banning Valium won’t prevent “young” adults from mixing their heroin, ketamine,alcohol cocktail with cheap but legal pharmaceutical alternatives to diazepam.

Thailand can’t stop Ketamine or any other drugs coming into the country. The last Ketamine drug bust was another big joke across the world.

Time for another photo-op to show that we’re protecting our children and society. A couple student arrests for good measure and maybe we throw another tourist into legal issues for leaving bad reviews for a hotel.

Log in to Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Caitlin Ashworth

Caitlin Ashworth is a writer from the United States who has lived in Thailand since 2018. She graduated from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies in 2016. She was a reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette In Massachusetts. She also interned at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia and Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Florida.

Up Next

Government launches suicide prevention committee to help suffering citizens

Don't Miss

Do you want to be a full-time video vlogger with The Thaiger?