Published: 16:51, May 4, 2025
HK customs seizes ‘space oil’ ingredient worth HK$14 million
By Wang Zhan in Hong Kong

This photo released on May 4, 2025 by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government shows about 15 kilograms of suspected etomidate, with an estimated market value of about HK$14 million, and drug inhaling paraphernalia seized in Tsuen Wan and Ngau Tau Kok. 

Hong Kong Customs seized on Saturday about 15 kilos of suspected etomidate—the main ingredient for “space oil”—worth HK$14 million ($1.81 million) during an anti-narcotic operation in Tsuen Wan and Ngau Tau Kok.

Customs officers charged a 46-year-old man who was caught with the controlled substance with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug, one count of possession of a dangerous drug and one count of possession of apparatus fit and intended for the inhalation of a dangerous drug.

‘Space oil’ is a kind of liquid that is often vaped through e-cigarettes. It can produce transient euphoria and cause addiction, and has become popular among youth communities since 2023.

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The customs officers incepted the man while he was holding a suitcase in Tsuen Wan on Saturday afternoon. They arrested him after finding about 15 kg of the controlled substance concealed in a batch of food packages inside the suitcase.

The officers later escorted the man to his residence in Ngau Tau Kok for a search, and further seized about 1 gram of suspected etomidate and two sets of suspected drug inhaling paraphernalia inside the premises.

READ MORE: HK classifies main ingredient of space oil as dangerous drug

The suspect will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday. Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offense.

The Hong Kong SAR government in February classified etomidate and three similar substances as dangerous drugs. Selling these drugs is punishable by a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.