Hong Kong makes 1st arrest over possession of suspected 'space oil' drug

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Hong Kong has made its first arrest over possession of the suspected “space oil” drug after the substance was included under the city’s dangerous drugs law, an official statement said late Sunday.

The Customs and Excise Department Saturday seized one vape stick containing etomidate, the main ingredient of space oil drug, from a 28-year-old woman at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, the statement said.

This is the first-ever case detected by Customs since the inclusion of etomidate into the First Schedule of the country's Dangerous Drug Ordinance on Friday.

The suspect arrived in Hong Kong from Macao. She has been released on bail pending further investigation, the statement said.

Under the Dangerous Drug Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offense, which carries the maximum penalty of $5 million and life imprisonment upon conviction.