A Singaporean man has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle nine suspected e-vaporiser pods containing etomidate, or Kpods, into Singapore.
He was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint, said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a Facebook post on Monday (17 Nov) night.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
On 6 Nov, ICA officers profiled a Malaysia-registered car heading into Singapore at Woodlands Checkpoint.
They directed the vehicle for enhanced checks.
Nine suspected Kpods were subsequently found packed in a Ziploc bag.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
The bag was concealed in a backpack belonging to a 25-year-old Singaporean male passenger.
ICA did not mention the identity of the car driver.
The man was arrested for e-vaporiser offences and suspected drug-related offences.
His case has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for further investigation.
He is also under investigation by the Central Narcotics Bureau for the suspected consumption of controlled drugs.
ICA said it is “committed to keeping Singapore’s borders safe and secure”, while facilitating trade & travel.
The case comes after ICA officers found two vapes and 127 suspected Kpods in the vehicle of an 18-year-old youth on 16 Oct.
Kwek Rui An Rayern was subsequently charged in court on 17 Oct for the alleged trafficking of suspected Kpods.
Trafficking a controlled drug, offering to do so, or any act or offer in preparation for or for the purpose of trafficking, is an offence under Section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 (MDA).
This applies whether the offender acts on their own behalf or on behalf of someone else, even if that other person is overseas.
Since the authorities implemented stiffer penalties for Kpod offences, those convicted of Kpod trafficking face between two and 10 years in prison and between two and five strokes of the cane.
Importers may be jailed for three to 20 years and receive five to 15 strokes of the cane.
Also read: 18-year-old charged for allegedly trafficking Kpods after being caught at Woodlands Checkpoint
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Featured image adapted from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook.