Zhang's laboratory in Wuhan, Hubei Province. (Photo : wh-china.com)
A chemistry professor affiliated with a university in Wuhan, central China, is suspected of producing massive amounts of a psychoactive drug and selling it overseas to the United States, Canada, Australia and the U.K.
On June 17, customs and police raided Zhang's lab in the Jiangxia district of Wuhan. About 20 kilograms (3 stone) of drugs were seized, most of which were psychoactive drugs such as methylone.
Authorities say that he sold at least 193 kilograms of methylone in 2014, according to a report by Xinhua News Agency.
Identified as "Zhang" by the police, he is alleged to have founded a chemical company in 2005 which produced medical coating and solvent.
While he was a visiting academic in Australia, he found out that some psychoactive drugs were in huge demand and decided to seize the opportunity to make a profit out of the lack of supply, according to the police.
He even went as far as recruiting people to mass produce hundreds of kilograms of the drug and sold them through mail order.
Zhang's dealings were uncovered in November of last year when local customs agents examined overseas-bound parcels and discovered nine parcels containing white powder.
The substance was methylone, a psychoactive drug that is severely restricted in China. It is a frequent substitute for MDMA or more popularly known as ecstasy.
The drug can lead people to lose control over their behavior and even cause death.
Seven others were arrested in connection with the raid in Wuhan.
