D-Report: E-Cigarette Cartridges Packed With 'Zombie Drug' Etomidate Seized

[Reporter] On a roadside in Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, investigators discover something tightly wrapped in black duct tape hidden in the bushes.

When opened, hundreds of e-cigarette cartridges spill out.

They were filled with repackaged etomidate, a substance used as a sleeping anesthetic.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit announced that it has apprehended 32 individuals, including a Vietnamese man in his 20s, who smuggled etomidate from overseas and distributed and sold it domestically, with 13 of them taken into custody.

The confiscated etomidate amounts to a staggering 2 liters, with a market value of 1.2 billion won.

Police investigations revealed that the suspects mostly communicated with overseas drug dealers via Telegram, smuggling etomidate into South Korea by hiding it inside cosmetic containers.

The smuggled etomidate was distributed in its pure, undiluted form packed into cartridges so it could be inhaled using e-cigarette devices.

[Kang Sun-bong / Head of Investigation Unit 1, Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency: The methods have been craftily modified, such as distributing it packed in e-cigarette liquid cartridges. It leads people to perceive it as a unique cigarette or a casual form of entertainment without any guilt regarding drugs...]

Etomidate is a psychotropic substance used as a medical sleeping anesthetic, and it has been dubbed the "second propofol" following controversies over illegal administration by celebrities.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety newly designated etomidate as a controlled substance in February.

Among the detected cases, there was even an instance where etomidate was mixed with veterinary anesthetics for distribution, and experts warn that such cases pose a severe threat to life by significantly increasing the risk of shock.

[Professor Yoon Heung-hee / Department of Global Addiction Rehabilitation Counseling, Namseoul University: Zombie-like drugs have emerged. Because another powerful chemical substance was diluted into the chemical compound, it can cause sudden drops in blood pressure from normal levels, leading to death by shock.]

Police stated that while they have forwarded some suspects to prosecutors under custody for violating the Narcotics Control Act, they have also requested the Ministry of Justice to improve legislation so that the large-scale distribution of etomidate can be subject to aggravated punishment.

(Reported by Kwon Min-kyu | Video by Joo Yong-jin | Video Editing by Yoon Tae-ho | Footage provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.