3 deaths in Hong Kong suspected to be tied to newly emerging drug ‘space oil’
As authorities move to toughen stance on drug, police reveal number of related arrests have already shot up by 988 per cent this year
Hong Kong has recorded at least three fatalities suspected to be tied to the newly emerging drug known as “space oil” so far this year, authorities revealed, as police reported a 10-fold increase in the number of people arrested for possessing the drug over last year.
Dr Chong Yeow-kuan, a consultant with the Toxicology Reference Laboratory of the Hong Kong Poison Control Centre under the Hospital Authority, stopped short of revealing the case details on Friday, but said authorities had looked into the cause of death.
“Normally, when there are no other suspected causes of death, and we have found etomidate in their bodies, we will consider such cases as having links with the drug,” Chong said.
Space oil is usually packaged as e-cigarette capsules and contains etomidate, an anaesthetic which can only be prescribed by a doctor. Etomidate is currently regulated as a Part 1 poison under the law.
The maximum penalty for the illegal sale or possession of a Part 1 poison is two years in jail and a HK$100,000 (US$12,865) fine.
Space oil can cause serious physical and mental harm, including addiction, memory loss, seizure, loss of consciousness and even death, according to the government’s Action Committee Against Narcotics.
The number of arrests this year have already shot up by 988 per cent over 2023. By the end of September, the force had arrested 98 people in 60 cases related to space oil involving 2,800 grams and 510ml this year. Among the arrestees, 16 were aged 21 or below.
