SINGAPORE, Oct 5 — Three people, including a 17-year-old girl, have been charged in Singapore with trafficking electronic vapour pods containing the anaesthetic drug etomidate — a substance that authorities say poses serious health risks when abused.
According to a report by CNA, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said yesterday that it had tracked down the suspects after investigating a male etomidate user earlier in the week.
The case marks one of the first known prosecutions involving “Kpods”, a slang term for the sedative-laced vapes circulating online.
The Singapore-based media organisation reported that the teenage suspect, who cannot be named under Singapore’s Children and Young Persons Act, was charged with possessing four Kpods for trafficking at a flat in Jurong West.
Two other adults — Vernette Heng Cui Teng, 23, and Amir Shah Anwar Shah, 27 — also face separate trafficking charges.
HSA officers seized 16 suspected etomidate vapes and related components from the teenager’s home, and another 64 devices from Heng’s flat in Ang Mo Kio.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Amir, who allegedly sold two Kpods to a female user for S$150 (RM490) at Rangoon Road.
The agency said both identified etomidate users were fined on the spot.
It warned that it takes a “serious view” of such offences, noting that importers and sellers of controlled substances face harsh penalties under Singapore law — including up to 20 years in prison and caning for trafficking.
The cases have been adjourned, with the 17-year-old released on bail on the condition that she continues to attend school.
Etomidate, a drug used in hospitals for inducing anaesthesia, can cause dangerous side effects if misused.
The rise of Kpods — often marketed to young people through encrypted messaging apps like Telegram — has raised alarm among health authorities in the region.
