Malaysian authorities, in cooperation with the Korean National Intelligence Service, captured an international drug cartel, including the 31-year-old Singaporean leader, on June 19, attempting to smuggle vapes containing etomidate and cocaine into the Republic of Korea. The group was planning to smuggle and distribute 20,000 vapes per month through transit points such as Malaysia, and a large amount of drugs and packaging materials were also seized. The ringleader had set up a company in Seoul under the guise of a Korean businessman and solicited Korean students to set up a distribution network, and surveillance by South Korean intelligence agencies from 2023 provided key information that led to his capture.
Centerpiece:
- South Korea and Malaysia cooperated to bust an international drug cartel smuggling etomidate-containing vapes into South Korea.
- Large quantities of drugs were seized and the group planned to smuggle 20,000 related vapes per month.
- The ringleader posed as a Korean businessman in Seoul and solicited Korean students to build a distribution network.
- South Korean intelligence agencies have been monitoring the group since 2023 and provided key information that led to the arrest.
South Korea seizes smuggling of etomidate-containing vapes
Editor’s Note: In response to “The four men are accused of trying to smuggle and distribute 20,000 etomidate-containing vapes to South Korea each month through transit points such as Malaysia. The quantity is sufficient for being used by 2 million people at the same time. （The quantity is sufficient for being used by 2 million people at the same time,” 2Firsts determined that the group was suspected of using the vapes as a vehicle for the liquid drug, rather than the number of cigarettes being used. In other words, the seizure of In other words, the liquid contained in the 20,000 vapes seized could have been distributed to as many as 2 million people after being dispensed or diluted.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS), in cooperation with Malaysian authorities, dismantled a drug cartel that was trying to smuggle 20,000 vapes containing etomidate and cocaine into South Korea, arresting four members of the international drug cartel, including the 31-year-old Singaporean ringleader, South Korea’s Seoul-based intelligence agency said, according to The Korea Times on July 8, Yonhap News Agency reported on July 8.
Suspected e-cigarettes used as drug carriers for 2 million people
The four were accused of trying to smuggle and distribute 20,000 vapes containing etomidate to South Korea every month through transit points such as Malaysia. These quantities are sufficient to be used by 2 million people at the same time. (The quantity is sufficient for being used by 2 million people at the same time)
Etomidate is an anesthetic used for anesthesia and sedation. Abuse of an illegal blend of etomidate can lead to serious health problems and even death.
Malaysian authorities also confiscated 4,958 cartridges containing the illicitly compounded drug, enough to supply 500,000 people, as well as thousands of boxes used for packaging, according to the country’s National Intelligence Agency.
The intelligence agency first identified the cartel’s leader as a suspect in 2023 while monitoring the international drug trafficking organization’s activities there. The agency then dispatched agents to Malaysia, who provided key intelligence that ultimately dismantled his drug cartel.
The ring leader posed as a South Korean businessman and set up a headhunting company in Seoul’s Gangnam district. The National Intelligence Agency said he contacted Korean students studying in Singapore to sell them etomidate and set up a distribution network in the country.
