TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 23-year-old Taiwanese woman for allegedly smuggling three kilograms of a liquid containing the designated drug etomidate — street name “zombie tobacco” — into Japan, reports TBS News (Sep. 15).
Tokyo police on Tuesday announced that the confiscation marks the largest seizure of liquid etomidate in the nation’s history.
The suspect, Lu Xiangling, described as unemployed and of no fixed address, is accused of violating the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act and the Customs Act.
According to police, the woman conspired with accomplices to smuggle the illicit liquid into Japan on September 9. She boarded a flight from Malaysia, stashing the drugs inside her checked suitcase.
She was formally placed under arrest the following day.
During questioning, the woman denied criminal intent, claiming she was acting as a blind mule. “I just brought it over as a part-time job and didn’t know what was inside,” she told investigators. “I was supposed to receive a reward of tens of thousands of yen.”
The plot unraveled upon arrival, when Haneda International Airport customs officials inspected her luggage and discovered the liquid concealed inside premium whiskey bottles.
The suspect told police she received instructions from an accomplice she met through social media. Authorities are now analyzing her communications and investigating the wider smuggling ring behind the operation.
