SUPPLY TARGETING:
High-tech detection methods will be used to crack down on Internet traffic, which will require intelligence sharing, an official said.

• By Chung Li-hua and Lery Hiciano / Journalist, with the editor

The Executive Yuan yesterday adopted a new phase of its anti-drug strategic plan, which provides NT$15 billion ($460.89 million) for enforcement efforts.

The funding would be used to reduce the supply of new drugs such as etomidate, as well as limit access to chemicals needed to make them, Vice Justice Minister Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰) said during of a press conference in Taipei.

High-tech detection methods will be implemented to crack down on internet drug trafficking, with the strategy also calling for cross-border cooperation and intelligence sharing, Huang said.

Photo: Chiu Chun-fu, Taipei Times

The High Prosecutor’s Office is integrating anti-drug resources into its six main law enforcement agencies to ensure source tracking and interagency cooperation, he said.

For serious cases involving drugs such as etomidate, also known as “zombie vape,” prosecutors would push to seize the proceeds of crimes, he said.

As etomidate is primarily consumed in vape form, Department of Health and Welfare officials are coordinating with law enforcement to limit the spread of e-cigarettes using the provisions of the Vape Prevention Act. tobacco risks (菸害防制法), he said.

Testing capacity will need to be improved, with the Food and Drug Administration providing guidance to private institutes to be certified for such processes, he said.

Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at the press conference that Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has asked the prosecutors’ office to step up efforts to prevent drug-related crime.

Prosecutors, police, investigation units, military police, coast guard personnel and customs units should be integrated to prevent illegal narcotics from entering Taiwan, Lee quoted Cho as saying.

The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a draft by the Justice Ministry’s Narcotics Review Committee to reclassify etomidate as a Category 2 narcotic.

It was reclassified as a Category 3 drug in June due to the increasing abuse of the drug in e-cigarettes.

Reclassification to Category 2 means heavier penalties for manufacturing, trafficking, transporting and selling etomidate compared to Category 3 drugs, he said.

It also means that drug possession or use is a crime, he said.

The Drug Risk Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) stipulates that those found guilty of using a Category 2 drug face a maximum prison sentence of three years.

Those found guilty of possessing the drug face a maximum sentence of two years, detention or a fine not exceeding NT$200,000, according to the Narcotics Act.

Those found guilty of manufacturing, transporting or selling Class 2 narcotics are subject to life imprisonment or a minimum term of 10 years and a maximum fine of NT$15 million.

There have been several high-profile cases of “zombie vape” use in recent months.

On Sunday, a conscript at a military training center was allegedly found in possession of 50 cartridges of etomidate, while earlier this year a police officer was killed by a driver under the influence of the drug.

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