HO CHI MINH CITY: Forty-nine people, including four foreigners, have been arrested in the city for alleged trafficking of an illegal anaesthetic substance hidden in electronic cigarettes, the city’s drug-related crime investigation police division said on Wednesday.
A total of 1,670 vape pods were seized, along with hundreds of grams of ketamine and methamphetamine.
The substance is etomidate, a short-acting sedative that can only be used for surgical anaesthesia under close supervision by a specialist.
It was added to the Government’s list of controlled substances in January, meaning its sale and use can constitute a criminal offence.
The substance was mixed into sweeteners for e-cigarettes and sold at high prices under appealing names such as “chill pod”, “relaxation pod”, “sleep-well pod” and “fly pod”, according to police.
The drug-laced pods could have been sold to bars, karaoke venues, rented apartments and other places frequented by young people.
Two of the foreigners arrested are South Korean nationals, while the others are Chinese and Cambodian nationals.
The investigation began after police received information about a man known by the nickname Ba Giá, who was buying and selling e-cigarettes on An Duong Vuong Street in An Lac Ward.
He was later identified as Nguyen Huu Huan, 28, from the southern province of Dong Thap.
Huan and his wife, Ngo Thi Kim Chi, 30, were arrested on June 25 for allegedly selling etomidate-laced vapes to Tran Phuc, 31, a HCM City resident.
Further investigation uncovered two networks supplying the vapes to Huan.
One was allegedly led by Huynh Ngoc Thuy Nhu, 26, assisted by Hua Tuong Vy, 20, both HCM City residents.
The other was allegedly led by Le Quoc Duy, 40, from An Giang province, who smuggled the vapes from Cambodia to Vietnam through small border crossings in his province before transferring them to HCM City.
Thirty-seven vape pods were confiscated from Duy, together with 200g of ketamine and 200g of methamphetamine.
Further investigation also pointed to another supplier group led by Han Kiat, a Cambodian national, and three other foreigners, who were allegedly supplying the vapes to foreigners living in HCM City.
According to police, unlike regular nicotine, etomidate, when inhaled, passes through the lungs directly into the bloodstream and reaches the brain within seconds.
Users may initially experience light-headedness and mild hallucinations, but acute effects can follow, including neurotoxicity, drowsiness, muscle spasms and loss of consciousness.
High doses or use of etomidate in combination with alcohol or other sedatives can cause sudden respiratory arrest and death.
Young people may be tempted to try the vapes because they look trendy and fashionable, police warned.
Criminals may also advertise the substance as “undetectable” or “100 per cent negative” to lure customers, as rapid test kits available on the market can detect only traditional drugs such as heroin, cannabis or methamphetamine.
Etomidate has a different chemical structure, meaning only specialised analysis systems used by police and forensic agencies can accurately detect it.
HCM City police advised citizens, especially young people, not to use e-cigarettes of unknown origin, believe advertisements or engage in the buying, selling, possessing or transporting of illegal drugs. – VNS/ANN
