First Kpod smuggler sentenced in Singapore jailed 3 years and caned

SINGAPORE – The first Kpod smuggler to be sentenced in Singapore was given three years’ jail and five strokes of the cane on Oct 2.

Png Swee Sheng, 39, pleaded guilty to illegally importing and consuming etomidate, an anaesthetic that has been abused in drug-laced e-vaporisers known as Kpods.

A third charge for smuggling in two vapes was taken into consideration for sentencing.

On Jan 5, Png received a message from a person known as Pod, offering him a job to smuggle Kpods into Singapore for between $500 and $800.

Png knew this was illegal, but agreed to do it as he needed money.

On Feb 6, he drove a rental car across the Causeway and collected the Kpods from a mall in Johor Bahru.

When he tried to return to Singapore, he was stopped at Woodlands Checkpoint and referred for further checks.

In the boot of the car, officers found two packages labelled as laundry detergent powder that contained the two vapes and over 200 Kpods.

Png was arrested and his urine sample later tested positive for etomidate, which he consumed before making his way back to Singapore.

At the time, etomidate was temporarily listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act as a Class C drug, allowing the authorities to take firmer action against smugglers, traffickers and abusers.

This was to deal with a scourge that saw many abusers behaving like “zombies” in public.

As an anaesthetic, etomidate was previously regulated under the Poisons Act, limiting what action the authorities could take against those who abused the substance.

Since May 1, it has been regulated as a specified psychoactive substance under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act, which has significantly increased penalties for vape offences.

The Health Sciences Authority said it takes a serious view of the import and supply of illegal vapes, particularly Kpods.

Those caught smuggling Kpods can be jailed for up to 20 years and given 15 strokes of the cane.

David Sun is The Straits Times’ crime correspondent. He has a background in criminology and is a licensed private investigator.