What Are Zombie Vapes and Why Are They Being Banned

It sounds like a plot straight out of Breaking Bad, but this actually happened in real life. Police in eastern China recently took down a major drug-trafficking ring that featured a retired chemistry professor and a chemistry graduate as the masterminds .

How they got caught

The whole operation started in 2024 when authorities in Shandong province noticed something fishy. A pharmaceutical company was buying massive amounts of six specific chemicals .

These chemicals are used to make etomidate, a powerful drug often found in "zombie vapes." Because of the serious health risks, China officially banned and strictly controlled the substance in 2023 .

The 'Heisenberg' duo

The police investigation led them to a man named Huang, who had a master's degree in chemistry and experience in the e-cigarette industry .

Huang didn't work alone. He teamed up with a retired chemistry professor named Wu. Investigators say Wu was the brains behind the operation, designing the manufacturing process and using his professional connections to set up secret labs across five different cities. To keep their activities hidden, they disguised the labs as medical research facilities .

A massive international takedown

To avoid getting caught, the group only made the raw ingredients in China. They then smuggled them into Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia to finish the drug production .

After a two-year investigation, police finally moved in. They worked with international authorities to launch raids across multiple locations at the same time .

The bust resulted in 71 arrests and the seizure of 73kg of finished etomidate, along with five tonnes of raw ingredients . The suspects are now waiting to face trial .