Singaporean man arrested over alleged Kpod production in Jakarta
A 34-year-old Singaporean man has been arrested in Indonesia over his alleged role in manufacturing etomidate-laced vape cartridges, commonly referred to as Kpods in Singapore.
The arrest followed a raid on a house in an upscale North Jakarta neighbourhood last Friday (17 July), where Indonesian authorities allegedly uncovered an illegal production facility.
Man allegedly played key role in production
The Singaporean suspect was identified only by the initials LHM and the name Hayden.
He was accused of playing a key role in producing the vape cartridges at the facility.
According to local reports, he was allegedly mixing etomidate when officers entered the house during a joint raid by the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police and customs authorities.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
Officers seized thousands of vape cartridges, including some reportedly prepared for distribution, along with equipment described as a small-scale laboratory setup.
The house was sealed after the raid, while the suspect and seized items were taken to the airport police station for further investigation.
Suspect allegedly given daily target of 500 cartridges
Police said the facility had only begun producing the cartridges on 16 July, a day before the raid.
The suspect had reportedly entered Indonesia on 13 July, four days before the operation.
The house had been rented by another Singaporean, who allegedly recruited the suspect and instructed him to produce at least 500 vape cartridges a day.
Source: DedMityay from Getty Images on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Authorities were led to the facility while investigating a drug-smuggling case.
Airport customs officers had earlier intercepted two bottles containing a total of 2.2kg of etomidate smuggled from Malaysia.
The amount was estimated to be enough to produce about 2,000 vape cartridges.
Investigations are ongoing to establish how many cartridges were manufactured, how long the operation had been active, and the wider drug-trafficking network behind it.
Also read: 26-year-old man charged with trafficking Kpods after he was found with 4 in Geylang
26-year-old man charged with trafficking Kpods after he was found with 4 in Geylang
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from DedMityay from Getty Images on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
