Police in Ho Chi Minh City announced on August 2 that they had dismantled several drug trafficking networks involved in the sale and use of new synthetic narcotics, particularly Etomidate disguised in "pod chill" electronic cigarettes.
Investigators have charged 30 suspects with offences including illegal drug trafficking, organising illegal drug use and illegal drug use.
According to investigators, the network was led by Le Quang Trong, who allegedly established a closed supply chain that smuggled Etomidate from Cambodia into Vietnam, processed it into vape liquid, injected it into "pod chill" cartridges and distributed the finished products to dealers in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces.
Suspect Le Quang Trong (Photo: Nguyen Trang).
During the operation, police simultaneously arrested or questioned 37 people, including several key suspects, while expanding the investigation to identify other members of the network.
So far, 30 suspects have been formally charged and placed in pre-trial detention. Investigators are continuing to gather evidence against the remaining seven individuals.
Police seized 10,000ml of Etomidate-containing vape liquid stored in 21 plastic bottles, 1,460 drug-filled "pod chill" cartridges, 13,500 empty vape cartridges, 595 vape devices, and numerous tools used for mixing, filling and injecting the liquid.
The alleged ringleader and a large quantity of seized evidence (Photo: Nguyen Trang).
According to investigators, the confiscated 10,000ml of Etomidate liquid was sufficient to produce nearly 5,000 finished "pod chill" cartridges. The seizure of 13,500 empty cartridges and large quantities of manufacturing equipment indicated that the operation was capable of producing drugs on an industrial scale.
Authorities said that if all of the empty cartridges had been filled with the narcotic liquid, the number of products reaching the market would have been many times greater than the quantity already seized, posing a significant risk to young people.
