photo: web

Police in South China's Hainan Province have caught a group of drug traffickers, arrested five suspects and seized 41 drinks containing club drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).

The traffickers were detected by police when they tried to sell the drugs in Sanya City, in southern Hainan. 

The drink, dubbed wakachaoyin, looks like a common bottled drink but is in reality a new type of drug containing the psychoactive substance γ-Hydroxybutyric acid, which is banned in China. An overdose can lead to unconsciousness, nausea, a comatose state and even death. 

The drink in question is registered by Sichuan Shizang Industrial Co and manufactured by Weierle Beverage Corp in Foshan City, South China's Guangdong Province. The latter had its Food Production License revoked in September 2017 as it had been producing prohibited foods.

This drink began to gain popularity among young people around 2015. It was available in many clubs and karaoke bars, where it was marketed as a sports drink.

Public security authorities in many places demanded the drink be removed from the market in 2017 after it was found to contain GHB, also referred to as a date rape drug, which can cause harm to the body when too much is consumed. 

However the product remained available on the market, moving underground by changing its name and packaging.

It is necessary for market regulation authorities to cut off the sources of such drinks before they are circulated on the market, Zhu Danpeng, a Chinese food industry analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"The target consumers of the drugged drinks are often teenagers who have little knowledge of psychotropic substances. These drugs are easy to disguise. I think it is necessary to educate theses young consumers on the science," he said.