OSAKA (TR) – Police in Osaka City have arrested a 31-year-old unemployed man for allegedly using the site of a former restaurant as a distribution hub to peddle illegal drugs, including a designated substance known on the street as “zombie tobacco,” reports TV Asahi (Aug. 9).
Tatsuhide Takahashi is accused of violating the Stimulants Control Law by possessing narcotics for the purpose of profit.
During a raid on his illicit base in Tennoji Ward, authorities seized nine types of illegal substances. Among the haul were stimulants, marijuana, and etomidate — the designated drug commonly referred to as “zombie tobacco.”
According to police, Takahashi conducted his underground business using a highly encrypted messaging app to communicate with buyers. Several of his customers have also been taken into custody.
The arrest comes amid a growing wave of crackdowns on etomidate across the Kansai region.
In a separate case, two unemployed men were recently arrested and subsequently indicted in Kyoto for smuggling the same drug. The pair allegedly conspired with an unidentified individual in January to illegally import etomidate into Japan from Malaysia.
According to authorities, the bust marks the first time anyone has been arrested in Kyoto Prefecture in connection with etomidate.
