Thai woman arrested in Japan for smuggling 'zombie cigarettes'

According to Osaka Customs, this was the first case of etomidate-related police action taken at Kansai International Airport in the western Japan prefecture of Osaka.

Etomidate, which causes muscle spasms and erratic behavior in some cases, was added to Japan's list of controlled substances in May last year.

Tuela Kanwara was arrested and later indicated for allegedly smuggling 1,002 cartridges of the substance totaling about 500 grams in a suitcase on a plane from Thailand into Japan on November 5, 2025.

The cartridges were concealed in seven snack packets, according to the Osaka prefectural police department's Kansai airport police station and others.

She was traveling with a Malaysian man, who was also arrested and indicted for allegedly smuggling stimulants into Japan.