Alleged Kpod deliveryman charged with six offences after Bishan sting

An alleged delivery man of vaping devices was handed six charges on July 18.

Jodan Chin Wei Liang, 27, was charged with selling and being in possession of e-vaporisers.

His appearance in court comes in the wake of an operation in Bishan where a man was detained in Bishan Street 13 on July 10.

A seller who claimed he could sell Kpods had arrived in a car but tried to drive off after Health Sciences Authority (HSA) officers had identified themselves.

On July 18, the court heard that for Chin's case, quite a large number of Kpods were seized.

His case has been adjourned to Aug 28.

According to court documents, he allegedly had more than 800 Kpods in assorted flavours for sale. They came with different names such as "Zombie" and "Lucifer".

Chin is also accused of being in possession for sale items that included 24 pieces of vaporisers without pods.

Kpods are vapes that contain vape juice mixed with potent ingredients such as etomidate or ketamine.

Used in hospitals to induce sedation during medical procedures, etomidate is meant to be injected into the veins under clinical supervision and is never intended to be inhaled.

When vaped, it enters the lungs directly and may trigger spasms, breathing difficulties, seizures and even psychosis.

It is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act and a licence is required for its importation or sale.

Under the Act, those found in possession of or using pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $10,000, or both.

Kpods are a cause for concern in Singapore.

On July 12, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs said in a joint statement that current legislation around vaping may be strengthened following the increased detection in Singapore of e-vaporisers containing substances such as etomidate and other controlled drugs.

They added that government agencies are considering further steps to better address the vaping issue, including whether current laws for enforcement can be enhanced.

The ministries said that within the first half of 2025, HSA had detected 28 cases where e-vaporiser pods were found to contain etomidate. This is nearly three times as many as the 10 cases detected in 2024.

ST launched its anti-vaping campaign, Vaping: The Invisible Crisis, on July 13 to raise awareness about the issue here.

To report vaping offences and the sale of vaping devices to the authorities, the public can contact HSA's Tobacco Regulation Branch on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 5.30pm on weekdays.