Man jailed, caned for importing 208 etomidate vape pods in first such conviction under the Misuse of Drugs Act

Png Swee Sheng was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint with 210 vape pods and two vapes in his vehicle.

File photo of the State Courts in Singapore.

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SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced to three years’ jail and five strokes of the cane on Friday (Oct 2) for importing and consuming etomidate vape pods, making him the first etomidate importer to be convicted and sentenced under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act.

Png Swee Sheng was driving from Malaysia into Singapore on Feb 6 when Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers searched his vehicle.

Two packages labelled as laundry detergent powder that contained two vaporisers and 210 vaporiser pods were found in the boot of his rental car. Laboratory tests by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) later confirmed that 208 of the seized pods contained etomidate.

Investigations revealed that about a month earlier, Png had received a Telegram message from an acquaintance known as "Pod", who offered him a job delivering Kpods into Singapore.

The 39-year-old Singaporean man was promised between S$500 (US$390) and S$800 for the delivery. He agreed to the arrangement because he needed money, despite knowing that Kpods were illegal in Singapore, court documents said.

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