OSAKA - Two foreign nationals have been arrested and indicted for allegedly smuggling an illegal drug known as “zombie cigarettes” into Japan through Kansai Airport, marking the first time a case involving the substance has been uncovered in Osaka, authorities said on January 20th.
Videos posted on Chinese social media show people trembling, staggering and collapsing in the street, unable even to stand, after reportedly using the drug. The substance is formally known as etomidate, an anesthetic that has been abused in liquid form and inhaled mainly through e-cigarettes.
Reporter Saori Kato said the suspects arrived at Kansai Airport on a flight from Thailand and are believed to have brought the drug into the country by concealing it inside a suitcase.
Police said the drug can cause numbness in the limbs and impaired consciousness, while experts warned that it carries a high risk of dependence and can be fatal in large doses.
Masahiko Funada, a professor at Shonan University of Medical Sciences’ Faculty of Pharmacy, said cases of death linked to heavy consumption have been reported overseas, adding that the drug’s short duration of effect can lead users to take it repeatedly, increasing the likelihood of addiction.
The suspects, identified as Thai nationals including defendant Thura Ganwara, are accused of smuggling 1,002 cartridges containing a liquid mixture including etomidate for the purpose of sale in November last year.
Kato said customs officials found the cartridges hidden inside bags of dried fruit, and the two suspects allegedly attempted to enter Japan claiming they were on a “honeymoon.”
Authorities said abuse of the drug was first confirmed in Okinawa, where workers in entertainment districts have reported seeing people staggering, stiffening up, or collapsing after using it.
The drug has since been linked to multiple smuggling cases across Japan. Two Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly bringing the substance into Narita Airport from India in July last year, and the Oita District Court handed down guilty verdicts on January 9th. In another case this month, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested a man in his 50s for allegedly smuggling the drug from Thailand, raising concerns that its use is spreading into the Kanto region.
Many people in Osaka said they had not heard of “zombie cigarettes,” while others said they had only vaguely seen the term in the news and described it as frightening.
Police said the drug is sometimes sold on social media under code words such as “laughing gas” and are stepping up vigilance over its possible spread among young people.
Source: YOMIURI
