Narcotics suppression police traced a Chinese gang operating a pot-k head production room, distributing to pubs and bars throughout Bangkok. They seized over 500 pot-k heads along with extensive production equipment.
On 22 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Pol. Lt. Gen. Atchayon Kraithong, Commander of the Narcotics Suppression Police, advanced operations under government and Royal Thai Police policies to seriously address drug problems. He recently ordered officers from Division 1, Narcotics Suppression Bureau 2, to expand investigations leading to the arrest of a Chinese network illicitly producing and selling e-cigarette heads mixed with etomidate, or pot-k, which is heavily spreading in Bangkok.
This arrest resulted from ongoing investigations and follow-ups by officers. In late November, they seized e-cigarette heads mixed with etomidate and arrested four Chinese suspects, raiding several warehouses in Huai Khwang, Pattaya, and Nonthaburi before continuing surveillance until suspects were identified.
Later, on 21 Dec 2025 GMT+7, police located a suspect in the Sukhumvit 13 area and identified him as Mr. Li, 32, a Chinese national. He admitted to distributing e-cigarette heads mixed with etomidate to Chinese residents in Huai Khwang at 1,200 baht per head. Further questioning revealed a production base in a condominium unit, prompting officers to raid two rooms in a condominium in Sukhumvit 13, with Police Lieutenant Colonel Kasidis Santipreechawat acting as a Chinese interpreter.
The search yielded 552 pot-k heads or e-cigarette heads mixed with etomidate ready for sale, empty pod heads for filling, packaging for distribution, and numerous tools for producing the psychoactive substance as well as packaging materials.
Officers charged the suspect with "possession of a Category 2 psychoactive substance (etomidate) with intent to sell, violating the law, an act for commercial purposes causing spread among the public." The suspect was detained and sent to investigators for prosecution. Investigations are ongoing to uncover additional related networks.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Atchayon Kraithong, Commander of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, stated that pot-k or pot-zombie is currently spreading among foreign tourists. It contains etomidate, a medical anesthetic used to temporarily induce sleep in patients. This substance acts quickly and depresses the central nervous system, causing users to feel drowsy, dizzy, and temporarily unconscious. When mixed into e-cigarettes, it poses health risks such as respiratory depression, arrhythmia, and psychological effects including hallucinations, depression, and anxiety.