India, Oct. 12 -- Police in China have dismantled a drug-trafficking network involving a retired chemistry professor and a man with a master's degree in chemistry. Their gang is accused of producing chemicals used to manufacture etomidate, a controlled narcotic that has been misused in e-cigarettes known as "zombie vapes".

According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the operation spanned China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Chinese police arrested 71 people and seized 73kg of etomidate, five tonnes of active ingredients and laboratory equipment, according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

The case has drawn widespread attention in China, where social media users have dubbed it "China's Breaking Bad", com...