Hong Kong police have arrested a man and a woman for alleged possession of dangerous drugs after seizing suspected etomidate and methamphetamine from them.
Officers from the force’s West Kowloon region noticed a suspicious pair at about 1am on Saturday while conducting an anti-crime patrol on Un Chau Street in Cheung Sha Wan and stopped them for questioning.
Officers seized five e-cigarette cartridges suspected of containing etomidate and four packets of suspected methamphetamine weighing about 9.7 grams in total. The total market value of the seized drugs was about HK$4,700 (US$604).
The 55-year-old man and 49-year-old woman were being held for investigation, police said, adding that the case was being followed up by the force’s Sham Shui Po division.
To combat the rising popularity of this new type of drug in the city, the government has listed etomidate and its three analogues – metomidate, propoxate and isopropoxate – as dangerous drugs since February 14.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, anyone who traffics or manufactures the substances without authorisation is liable to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.
