2 years’ jail and 2 strokes of the cane for man who peddled Kpods and illicit drugs
Basil Wang Zhuang Zhen was found to have Kpods and other illicit drugs stashed in a cabinet outside his home.
In September 2025, Basil Wang Zhuang Zhen, a 24-year-old man, was sentenced to two years in jail and two strokes of the cane for his role in trafficking Kpods and other illicit drugs. The court documents reveal that Wang was caught with a disposable vaporiser in his car as he entered Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint on December 2, 2025. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found the vape during their routine checks.
Upon further investigation by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Wang admitted to storing various illegal products in a locked cabinet outside his home, but had misplaced the keys. After forcing open the cabinet, HSA officers discovered codeine phosphate tablets, diazepam tablets, Kpods, and cough syrup. Wang confessed that he had been selling these items to customers for $50 to $60 each, purchasing them from a supplier on the Telegram messaging app for $30 to $40.
The man's illicit activities extended beyond the Kpods; he had also advertised other illegal medicines and cough syrup for sale on Telegram. Wang was arrested on December 3, 2025, and charged with trafficking Kpods, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in jail and two strokes of the cane. In the first quarter of 2026, authorities apprehended 2,589 individuals for possession and use of vaporisers; 2,212 were regular vape offenders, while 377 were arrested for etomidate vape-related offenses, equivalent to Kpod trafficking. A total of 520 vape offenders were placed on rehabilitation programs during the same period.
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