A 23-year-old woman was arrested in Bangkok on Tuesday in possession of three small bags of the drug known as Yah K-Nom Phong (ยาเคนมผง), or “K-Powdered Milk”, which has been linked to six deaths in the capital over the weekend.
The substance has been found to contain heroin, methamphetamine, ketamine, and the sleeping pill ramelteon, prescribed under the brand name Rozerem. The cocktail’s street name comes from its appearance. The combination of stimulants and sedatives is likely to have caused the deaths, authorities said.
The drug was making headlines across Thailand this week, with the hashtag #เคนมผง (k-nom phong) trending on Twitter.
The confirmed victims of the new drug mix were three women and three men aged between 21 and 34, who were found near the Rama III road in the south of the city centre. Several deaths in other districts, namely Pathumwan, are being investigated for the same drug mix.
The substance is thought to cause death from heart failure, according to Professor Winai Wananukul, the department head of the Toxicology Center of Ramathibodi Hospital.
Authorities believe it is coming in over the border from Myanmar.
The suspect Sirikarn Chuekhetkram, who was arrested in Mai Sai in the north of the city, told police she has been selling the powder since long before the recent fatalities. She said she bought the bags for 470 baht per gramme, and sold them on for 600 baht per gramme.