OSAKA (TR) – In a first for the region, law enforcement here has arrested a male and female nationals from Malaysia and Thailand on suspicion of smuggling so-called “zombie cigarettes” last year, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (Jan. 20).
Last November, Malaysian national Lai Dar Singh, 31, and Thai national Tullah Ganwala, also 31, allegedly arrived at Kansai International Airport with luggage containing 1,002 cartridges of the designated drug etomidate and 1 kilogram of kakuseizai (methamphetamine).
According to the Kansai Airport Customs Branch, the couple, who arrived aboard a flight from Thailand, had explained that they were on their honeymoon.
When questioned by customs officials, the pair could not give the combination to unlock a suitcase. Officials eventually searched the suitcase and found the illegal drugs inside a food bag.
Etomidate became a designated drug last May. It is a short-acting, intravenous anesthetic used for inducing general anesthesia. It is also known as “zombie cigarettes” because an overdose can cause convulsions in the arms and legs.
This is the first time that etomidate smuggling has been detected in the Kansai region, and police are investigating the possibility that it was smuggled for sale.
