Hong Kong police have arrested four people and seized more than HK$5.5 million (US$706,540) worth of illegal substances, including the newly emerging “space oil”, in a crackdown on two drug packaging and distribution centres.
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The force said on Saturday two men and two women, aged between 27 and 41, were arrested the day before in connection with two cases of alleged trafficking involving dangerous drugs such as space oil, Ice and heroin, with some of the arrestees having triad backgrounds.
On Friday, Hong Kong classified several key ingredients used to make space oil in the same category as cocaine, in a bid to combat rising use among teens, as authorities revealed variations of the main anaesthetic used in the vape capsules had been found in 75 cases since last year.
“I would like to warn of the emerging trend of people taking space oil, especially among the young who consume it disguised as vapes,” said Superintendent Li Muk-yik, of the Crime New Territories South regional headquarters.
“Vaping space oil is in reality the same as taking drugs because it is highly addictive with serious consequences that could lead to coma, brain damage and death … People should guard against taking space oil.”
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Lau Yuk-wa, chief inspector of the regional anti-triad unit of New Territories South, said the first case involved a flat in Yau Ma Tei that was allegedly used as a distribution centre for space oil.
In the early hours of Friday, officers intercepted a man and a woman in the flat’s doorway and found in the pair’s possession e-cigarette vape cartridges containing space oil. A search of the flat revealed another woman who was in possession of liquid and powder suspected to be containing the illegal drugs.