TOKYO (TR) — Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 50-year-old Taiwanese girl on suspicion of smuggling over 4 kilograms of a chosen unlawful drug recognized on the road as “zombie cigarettes” into Japan.
The seizure marks the largest-ever for the substance within the nation, reviews Nippon News Network (Apr. 18).
Liu Tingyu, whose occupation and residence are unknown, is accused of violating the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act.
According to investigators, Liu arrived at Haneda Airport on a flight from Thailand on April 16. During a baggage inspection, customs officers found roughly 4.05 kilograms of etomidate in crystal kind, which had been divided into 4 separate luggage and hid inside a false-bottomed suitcase.
Upon her arrest, Liu denied the allegations, claiming ignorance concerning the bags’s illicit contents. “I borrowed the suitcase from an acquaintance of an acquaintance in Taiwan,” she advised police. “I did not know the etomidate was inside.”
Convulsions within the legs and arms
Etomidate is a short-acting, intravenous anesthetic used for inducing common anesthesia. It is often known as “zombie cigarettes” as a result of an overdose may cause convulsions within the legs and arms.
To curb its unfold, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare formally added it to the listing of banned designated medication in May of final 12 months, strictly prohibiting its possession and use.
Given the unprecedented 4-kilogram amount of the seized narcotics — an quantity indicating supposed mass distribution fairly than private use — police suspect Liu was working as a “mule” for a large-scale worldwide drug smuggling syndicate. Authorities are presently investigating the broader trafficking community and provide routes.