Seven arrested for trafficking new drug 'space oil', including primary school teacher

The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) held a press conference today (Nov. 27) to brief the operation against "space oil". Head of Customs Drug Investigation Bureau Wong Ho-yin, Divisional Commander (Air Cargo)3 Ho Tin-hong, and Divisional Commander (Drug Investigation)3 Lau Wai-lun were present.

According to the briefing, C&ED launched a special law enforcement operation this month targeting the emerging drug known as "ethylhexyl nitrite", commonly referred to as "space oil". During the operation, 16 kilograms of ethylhexyl nitrite powder and 191 cartridges containing space oil were seized. Seven individuals, aged between 23 and 48, were arrested, including a primary school teacher, a chef, and a waiter.

Wong stated that C&ED has been committed to combating all types of drug trafficking, focusing on emerging drugs and cases of drug abuse. Drug Investigation Group conducted a special law enforcement operation in November. They seized eight packages imported from India, totaling 16 kilograms of ethylhexyl nitrite powder. Airport personnel, based on risk assessments and data analysis, targeted this batch of goods, described as "polymer", which is believed to be capable of producing 48,000 space oil cartridges, with an estimated market value of about HK$17 million.

Lau indicated that criminals were smuggling ethylhexyl nitrite raw materials into Hong Kong, temporarily storing them in distribution or storage centers before distributing the powder to processing centers to manufacture space oil cartridges. The powder was mixed with flavored glycerin or drugs and heated to become liquid, which was then injected into cartridges. The finished products were then distributed to various distributors, utilizing local logistics to deliver the cartridges to end users.

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