Police raided a condominium room in Bangkok and arrested a man for producing and selling e-cigarettes and vape liquid laced with an anaesthetic - known as "Zombie pods".
Kanchai Lerksansuk, 39, was taken into custody at a condominium in Ram Inthra area of Bangkok's Khan Na Yao district on Tuesday, Pol Maj Gen Pattanasak Bupphasuwan, commander of the Consumer Protection Police Division, said on Wednesday.
Police seized 300 "special" vape juice cartridges, 12 bottles containing Etomidate, a short-acting intravenous anaesthetic agent, and production equipment.
Mr Kanchai said he mixed the liquid himself and sold it for 2,200 baht per pod in a Line Open chat, named PARTY777. He took in 20,000 to 100,000 baht per day and the target customers were party goers and bar girls, police said.
He told police he bought the vape juice from a chemical supply shop and the Etomidate from a Chinese dealer who had smuggled it into Thailand.
Police said the mix would increase the intoxicating effect and was dangerous to people’s health.
Investigators reported that the suspect had previously been arrested for selling cannabis when it was still illegal in Thailand. He was freed from prison after it was legalised and later opened a cannabis shop.
He had produced and sold the Zombie pods as a side job for about four months, police said.
It was the first time police had arrested a Thai producer of this type of e-pod. It was previously found only in goods brought in from outside the kingdom, Pol Maj Gen Pattanasak said.