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View all search resultsBatam police seize almost 2,000 narcotics-laced e-cigarettes in two-month drug bust
Head of Batam Police narcotics directorate Comr. Arsyad Riyandi said authorities are encountering a rising trend in the use of e-cigarettes, or vaporizers, as a medium for drug abuse and distribution.
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The popularity of e-cigarette’s has risen in recent years, but they have been continuously dogged by concerns over their ability to introduce non-smokers to tobacco. (Shutterstock/Lifestyle discover)
T
he Batam, Rempang and Galang (Barelang) City Police in Riau Islands in coordination with the Batam Immigration Office, seized 1,931 e-cigarettes laced with narcotics during a two-month anti-drug operation from February to April.
Head of Barelang Police narcotics directorate Comr. Arsyad Riyandi said authorities were encountering a rising trend in the use of e-cigarettes, or vaporizers, as a medium for drug abuse and distribution. The method is seen as more practical and less detectable, while the devices’ resemblance to conventional e-cigarettes allows traffickers to conceal them more easily.
“E-cigarette devices are easy to use, allowing drugs to be consumed at any time. They are also harder to detect because many people do not realize they may contain narcotics,” Arsyad said.
Most of the narcotics-laced e-cigarette devices were smuggled from neighboring Malaysia by international drug syndicates via sea routes, police said.
Authorities found that most of the seized devices contained etomidate, a fast-acting intravenous anesthetic typically used to induce and maintain anesthesia during short, high-risk procedures. The drug can produce effects similar to ketamine, another anesthetic known for its dissociative and hallucinogenic properties.
Under Indonesian law, etomidate is classified as a Group II narcotic, meaning it has a high potential for dependence but may be used as a last-resort option in medical treatment or for scientific research.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has reported a growing trend of etomidate abuse through e-cigarettes across East and Southeast Asia and Oceania in recent years.
