Customs and Excise Department officers uncover workshop with etomidate materials and production equipment capable of making 160,000 cartridges
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenDanny MokPublished: 7:43pm, 2 Sep 2026Updated: 7:50pm, 2 Sep 2026Hong Kong customs has arrested a man and seized HK$42 million (US$5.3 million) worth of the illegal narcotic “space oil” from a drug workshop fitted with a semi-automated production line capable of producing up to 160,000 cartridges in a short period.
Senior investigator Chan Kit-lun of the Customs and Excise Department’s drug investigation bureau said officers intercepted a suspicious man on Tuesday and escorted him to a property in Kam Tin, Yuen Long.
Inside, they found more than 3,000 suspected cartridges containing etomidate, formerly known as space oil, about 13.4kg (29.5lbs) of liquid etomidate, 3kg of etomidate powder, and a range of drug-manufacturing and packaging equipment.
Investigators found that the syndicate had installed a semi-automated production line featuring a high-precision liquid-filling machine.
Chan said the seized raw materials, if fully processed using the production line, could have yielded up to 160,000 etomidate cartridges in a short time, posing a serious risk if released onto the market.
