Man, 31, charged with trafficking Kpods found in rental car after traffic accident

On August 12, a 31-year-old man named Tan Jun Yuan Jovan was charged with trafficking etomidate vaporiser pods, also known as Kpods. The charges were brought under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act 1993 (TVCA).

Earlier, on August 10, traffic police were called to a road traffic accident where Tan was driving a rental car. The police found two vaporisers and 94 vaporiser pods in the car during their investigation. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) officers were then alerted and took over the seized items.

Tan was subsequently arrested and handed over to the HSA for further investigation. He tested positive for etomidate in an instant urine test and admitted to vaping etomidate before the accident. He was remanded for a week.

Lab tests confirmed that the seized pods contained etomidate. Some of the pods were reportedly intended for Tan's personal use, while the rest were intended for distribution. The investigation into the vaporiser and etomidate trafficking offences is ongoing, and Tan is assisting the traffic police's investigations under the Road Traffic Act 1961.

The case was mentioned again in court on August 19 and has been adjourned to September 28. According to TVCA, etomidate and its analogues are classified as specified psychoactive substances in the schedule. Importers found guilty face up to three to 20 years in jail and five to 15 strokes of the cane, while suppliers face up to two to 10 years in jail and two to five strokes of the cane.