26-year-old held over 'space oil' lab

Ayra Wang and Jamie Liu

The first illicit laboratory manufacturing "space oil" was discovered by police following Hong Kong's ban on etomidate and three similar substances enacted on Friday.

Officers raided a 70-square-foot partitioned unit in an industrial building in Fo Tan, arresting a 26-year-old jobless man, Lam, who is suspected of producing and trafficking dangerous drugs.

Lam is set to appear at Sha Tin magistrates' courts today.

During the raid, officers seized about 1.6 liters of liquid etomidate, 308 suspected space oil vape cartridges, 33 liters of flavored glycerin and various drug manufacturing equipment capable of producing around 1,600 vape cartridges valued at about HK$800,000.

Senior superintendent Chan Kong-ming of the narcotics bureau said yesterday the operation disrupted a homemade space oil production center that had been in operation for about a month.

"This operation has managed to disrupt one of these underground space oil drug labs and prevent these drugs from hitting the streets," Chan said.

He also said investigators would try and get to the source of the seized etomidate and equipment to target drug suppliers at their root.

The SAR classified etomidate under the first schedule of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, imposing severe penalties for illicit trafficking or manufacturing, including a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.

Customs also said it discovered 1,363 drug-related cases last year, of which 19 involved "space oil."

It handled over 31,200 cases last year, with 68 percent related to illicit cigarettes.

The department logged about 21,000 tobacco smuggling cases, an 80 percent increase from 2023, and seized around 640 million illicit cigarettes.