SINGAPORE: A man was charged in a district court on Thursday (Jan 22) over the alleged trafficking of almost 2,000 Kpods, in the largest haul of etomidate-laced pods seized to date.
Muhamad Khairuddin Abdullah, 30, was handed one charge for purportedly importing 1,989 etomidate-laced pods into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint at about 11.05pm on Jan 20.
On Jan 22, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said Khairuddin was detained at Woodlands Checkpoint on Jan 20 while entering Singapore in a rental car with his 63-year-old mother and four-month old niece.
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers discovered the vaporiser pods concealed in two boxes in the car boot.
Tests revealed that the pods contained etomidate, which has been re-classified as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act since Sept 1.
HSA officers were alerted and conducted a raid at Khairuddin’s residence on the same day, finding three vapes.
From Sept 1, those caught importing Kpods will face a mandatory minimum three-year jail sentence and five strokes of the cane. More egregious offenders can be jailed for up to 20 years and face up to 15 strokes of the cane.
Khairuddin’s case will be heard again on March 5.
To report vaping offences and the sale of vaping devices to the authorities, members of the public can contact HSA’s Tobacco Regulation Branch on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily. - The Straits Times/ANN
If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at stnewsdesk@sph.com.sg
