Two years ago, Deputy Director Ma of a police station in Nanjing organized six minors through others to distribute electronic cigarettes containing etomidate, passing them to the minors as bait for an arrest operation. In April of this year, Ma was sentenced to five years in prison, sparking widespread skepticism online.
According to the official Chinese media outlet “The New Beijing News” on April 25, Deputy Director Ma of a police station in Nanjing was convicted of deceiving others into drug use and sentenced to five years in the first instance.
The court verdict indicated that Ma sought out civilian Xu to provide drug-related information to complete an investigation task. In January 2024, Xu, through others, gathered six minors, to whom Ma handed over electronic cigarettes containing etomidate. Xu and others then had the minors smoke the electronic cigarettes inside a hotel before contacting Ma to arrest the six minors.
In April 2026, the Sixian District Court of Nanjing issued the first-instance judgment in this case, sentencing Ma as well as three civilians to imprisonment.
This incident immediately caught the attention of netizens.
Netizens condemned, “Setting up people with etomidate-laced electronic cigarettes, luring and then arresting them, this is not law enforcement but outright criminal behavior. Those who should protect have turned into offenders, ruining the lives of six children and trampling on everyone’s trust in justice.”
“Let’s take this a step further. Where did the deputy director of the police station get the drugs? Is it possible that some police officers control the supply chain of drugs, flexibly deciding whether or when to make arrests in order to meet quotas, setting up sting operations? In other words, a chain of command around police performance indicators has been formed, serving the police’s targets. Note: it’s not serving to solve cases promptly, but rather serving these indicators.”
“This involves drug use, and it involves six minors, with an extremely heinous nature, yet the sentencing is extremely lenient!”
“A deputy director of a police station, in order to pass an assessment, induced six minors to use drugs and then arrested them. After the incident was exposed, this deputy director was finally sentenced to 5 years. I believe any person with normal cognition would ask, is 5 years enough? A law enforcer, facing minors, with such malicious intent, using such despicable methods, causing such a negative impact on society, is a 5-year sentence adequate?”
Public information indicates that etomidate is an ultra-short-acting intravenous anesthetic used in medical procedures mainly for inducing general anesthesia and sedation before surgery, classified as a central nervous system depressant.
Etomidate mixed into e-cigarette oil can pose severe harm to the nerves and body, causing symptoms such as blurred consciousness, behavioral disorders, seizures, incoherent speech, dizziness, and headaches. It severely inhibits adrenal function, possibly leading to adrenal insufficiency, resulting in skin ulcers, muscle spasms, among other symptoms. In severe cases, it can lead to coma, respiratory failure, decreased blood pressure, and even death.