Taiwanese man arrested for smuggling 2.7 kilograms of Etomidate, given as a "gift" - Osaka Prefectural Police/Customs

On the 2nd, the Osaka Prefectural Police Kansai Airport Police Station and Osaka Customs announced that they had arrested Sai Airin (48), an unemployed Taiwanese national with no fixed address, on suspicion of violating the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act for smuggling approximately 2.7 kilograms of Etomidate, a designated drug known as ``zombie cigarettes.''

Although it has not been made clear whether or not he approved the gift, he said during the customs inspection upon entering the country that he was giving it as a gift to an acquaintance in Japan. The police department will also investigate the transferee.

The suspect was arrested on October 8, on suspicion of colluding with someone to smuggle approximately 2.7 kilograms of a liquid containing etomidate into a bottle of high-grade baijiu, Maotai, in a suitcase from Vietnam to Kansai Airport. He has already been charged with violating the same law.

The liquor bottles were reportedly packed in wooden boxes and stuffed into suitcases along with clothing and sweets. The bottle was discovered after customs officials became suspicious because there was a crack in the lid of the bottle.