Four Singaporean men were charged on June 24 for their alleged roles in supplying etomidate-laced vaporiser pods, known as Kpods, in Singapore under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Authorities arrested Kong Qi Cong (32) and Willy Poh Wei Li (32) on June 23 at residences in Teck Whye and Tampines, where they recovered 1,111 Kpods worth more than S$83,000 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Kong was found with 1,000 pods while Poh had 111 pods in their possession [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Tobias Tan Wei An (27) and Michael Jordan Tan Wei Hui (31) are also charged with conspiracy to supply the controlled pods [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The arrests follow a major seizure of 12,273 etomidate-laced Kpods hidden in a car at Woodlands Checkpoint in May, with an estimated street value exceeding S$800,000 [2, 3, 4, 5]. The pods were recovered from two Malaysians attempting to smuggle them into Singapore [2, 3, 4, 5]. All seized pods have tested positive for etomidate, a Class C controlled drug under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act since the previous September [1, 2, 3]. Police also impounded two vehicles believed to be used for the distribution network [1, 2].
The four men were charged with five counts related to the supply and possession of etomidate pods. They appeared in district court on July 1 and are scheduled for pre-trial conferences this month [2, 3, 4, 5]. Earlier cases related to etomidate pods include the arrest of an 18-year-old found with 107 pods in April and other seizures in May and June throughout Singapore [3, 4, 5].
Authorities continue to investigate the cross-border syndicate behind the illicit distribution. The ongoing legal proceedings aim to address the supply of this controlled drug amid rising enforcement efforts.
