Four Singaporean men have been charged for allegedly being part of a transnational syndicate that supplied e-vaporiser pods laced with etomidate, known as ‘Kpods’.
When two of them were arrested, a total of 1,111 Kpods were seized, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in a press release on Tuesday (30 June).
Source: Health Sciences Authority, Singapore
The first to be nabbed was 32-year-old Kong Qi Cong, at a residential unit in Teck Whye.
1,000 Kpods and more than S$6,000 in cash were seized during his arrest.
The second man, 32-year-old Willy Poh Wei Li, was arrested at a residential unit in Tampines with 111 Kpods.
The 1,111 Kpods were confirmed to contain etomidate after laboratory testing.
They have a total estimated street value of more than S$83,000.
Additionally, two vehicles were impounded as they are believed to have been used to distribute the Kpods in Singapore.
Source: Health Sciences Authority, Singapore
Two more men were arrested separately — 27-year-old Tobias Tan Wei An and 31-year-old Michael Jordan Tan Wei Hui.
They are suspected to be involved in conspiracies with other persons to supply Kpods.
All four men were charged in court on 24 June. They were remanded for one week to assist with further investigations.
Their case will be mentioned in court again on Wednesday (1 July).
On Tuesday (30 June) afternoon, two of the men were escorted by officers to Block 226D Compassvale Walk, a multi-storey carpark, reported The Straits Times (ST).
Source: @hsa.singapore on Instagram
Kong and Poh, who were shackled and arrived in separate vans, kept their heads bowed while being questioned at the scene during the brief visit.
Source: @hsa.singapore on Instagram
HSA said on Instagram that the carpark was the scene of the alleged offence, and the duo were brought back as part of ongoing investigations.
Source: @hsa.singapore on Instagram
HSA also said that this is the first suspected transnational Kpod supply syndicate being investigated under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act (TVCA), which was renamed from the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act on 1 May.
Since then, etomidate has been listed as a Specified Psychoactive Substance in a new Schedule of the TVCA.
This allows those found guilty of importing products containing etomidate to face between three and 20 years in prison and receive five to 15 strokes of the cane.
Convicted suppliers may be jailed for between two and 10 years and receive two to five strokes of the cane.
Further investigations are ongoing, HSA added.
The arrests of the four men are linked to a probe into an earlier case in May, where more than S$800,000 worth of Kpods were found in a Malaysia-registered car attempting to enter Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint.
That discovery of 12,273 Kpods was the largest haul of Kpods illegally imported into Singapore to date, HSA said.
Source: Health Sciences Authority, Singapore
The two Malaysians who were in the car, a man and woman in their 20s, were charged with importing Kpods into Singapore, the first to be accused of this offence since the TVCA came into force.
Also read: Woman charged with trafficking Kpods found dead in Geylang hotel room, Coroner’s Inquiry to be held
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @hsa.singapore on Instagram and Health Sciences Authority, Singapore.