The Criminal Investigation Bureau yesterday said it is cracking down on “zombie vapes,” with a three-month drug sweep seizing products with a street value of NT$260 million (US$8.13) amid a push for the government to impose more severe punishments for drug-impaired driving.
From July to last month, the National Police Agency recorded 681 incidents of use or possession by 767 people of so-called “zombie vapes” containing etomidate, Criminal Investigation Bureau Director-General Chou Yu-wei (周幼偉) said.
Eighteen drug packaging sites were discovered and dismantled, and ingredients to produce cartridges worth more than NT$260 million were seized, he said, adding that some suspects have links to organized crime.
Photo: CNA
“Zombie vapes” are made from etomidate, a type of central nervous system depressant that can induce anesthesia, Chou said, adding that users experience muscle tremors and dizziness.
Etomidate is mixed with organic solvents along with other substances that have a similar chemical structure, then fruit flavors are added to produce vape cartridges priced at NT$2,000 each on social media, he said.
The agency’s analysis showed that most etomidate in Taiwan comes from Cambodia, where it is gathered from pharmacies in Southeast Asian nations before being shipped to Taiwan via air freight in the guise of other chemicals or medications, he said.
The smuggled etomidate is then taken to secret sites, where it is packaged into vape cartridges, Chou said.
Due to the adverse effects of “zombie vapes,” the bureau began to clamp down on etomidate in July and incorporated the measure into its teenager protection project over the summer vacation, before the drug was listed as a Category 3 narcotic on Aug. 5, he said.
From July to last month, police seized a total of 7,540 etomidate-based cartridges, 2.7kg of e-liquid, 11.1kg of drug powders and seven vehicles for criminal use, as well as cash totaling NT$6.93 million, Chou said.
While 183 incidents involved 239 drug suppliers who were possessing or transferring the drug to sell it, 498 incidents involved 528 people who possessing or used the drug, he said.
Meanwhile, the government has been under pressure to impose more severe punishments for drug-impaired driving following the killing of New Taipei City Police Chief Liu Tsung-hsin (劉宗鑫) by a driver earlier this week.
Laws have not kept up with new forms of synthetic drugs, so stronger prison sentences are needed as a deterrent, National Police Agency Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said on Thursday.
Chang when meeting Liu’s family on Tuesday lauded him as a model police officer, and said he would request the maximum amount of government compensation of NT$40 million to which the family of an officer who dies in the line of duty is entitled.
Liu, chief of Chingshui Police Station in Tucheng District (土城), was killed when conducting a roadside check on Monday.
He had stopped a motorist surnamed Chen (陳), who slammed on the accelerator, pushing Liu about 500m before ramming him into a construction site fence.
Chen, 30, fled the scene and was later arrested at a friend’s house.
Initial tests indicated she had ingested amphetamine and etomidate, and had vape cartridges in her possession.
She also had a past conviction for drug use.
New Taipei City prosecutors are investigating possible charges of homicide, illegal drug use and obstruction of official duties.
Citing the separate death in June of Sanchong Precinct police officer Huang Wei-chen (黃煒震), also caused by a driver under the influence of etomidate, Chang requested that the government raise the punishments for new synthetic drugs.
Chang also said that the agency would mandate new training for officers to remind them of uncertainties they might face in the line of duty.
The Ministry of the Interior last month amended the law to make the families of law enforcement officers eligible to receive state compensation after their family member was “violently killed by an offender” while in the line of duty, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
Eight police officers were killed in the line of duty in both 2021 and 2022. Ten were killed last year and three deaths occurred this year from January to August, agency data showed.
Additional reporting by Chen Cheng-yu
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