PHV driver approaches traffic police along BKE after 2 teens allegedly vaped in car

A 51-year-old private hire vehicle driver (PHV) was driving two teenage boys to a public housing block in Choa Chu Kang on May 18 morning when he noticed they were apparently vaping in his car.

Upon allegedly hearing that the boys were on their way to pick up "K-pods", which are vape juice mixed with etomidate, an anaesthetic agent, the driver, surnamed Guo (transliteration), became even more concerned, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Although Guo initially wanted to bring the boys to the police after noticing they were apparently becoming muddled-headed from vaping, he changed his mind after seeing traffic police officers along Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).

After honking at the officers, Guo alighted from his car and told them what he witnessed.

Later on, several police officers and an ambulance arrived at the scene, and the boys were apparently taken away.

Surmised that teens came from wealthy background

Speaking to Shin Min, Guo said the two teens appeared to be around the age of 16 or 17.

At around 9am on Sunday, he picked one of the teens up at a private property area along Orchard Road and the other at a condominium development in Katong.

As he drove a seven-seater sports utility vehicle, Guo surmised that the two teens must have come from a wealthy background.

"They seemed to be from well-off families. They booked Grab Premium, and the fare was relatively higher. They also spoke to each other in English in my car. I don't know how they came into contact with e-vaporisers," said Guo.

Teens' conversations made Guo 'very concerned'

Guo claimed that the two teens began vaping immediately after getting into his car, reported Shin Min.

Feeling something was amiss, he paid attention to the teens' conversation, where they apparently mentioned they were picking up "K-pods".

"This made me very concerned. Additionally, it appeared that vaping had caused them to become muddle-headed and begin mumbling. As such, I decided I should report the matter to the authorities," recounted Guo.

Initially, Guo said he wanted to drive the teens to a police station straight away.

However, when he saw traffic police officers along BKE towards Woodlands, he decided to inform them about the teen's alleged deeds instead.

At least 8 police officers seen at scene

According to Guo, the two teens appeared "very calm" despite the arrival of additional police officers and an ambulance, reported Shin Min.

Eventually, one of the teens appeared to be taken to a hospital, whereas the other was believed to have been brought back home by the police, surmised Guo.

In response to Shin Min's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed they were alerted to the incident.

However, assistance from SCDF was not necessary.

Adverse effects of misusing/abusing etomidate

Guo told Shin Min that when he checked his car on May 19 morning, he found a component of an e-vaporiser allegedly used by the teens.

Guo said he knew the type of e-vaporiser allegedly used by the teens could cause users to feel muddled-headed, as he read from the news that a girl appeared oblivious after using the same type of e-vaporiser outside a court in Singapore.

Guo was referring to the 13-year-old girl who was apparently vaping and behaving erratically outside the state courts.

After the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) became aware of the incident on Apr. 24, HSA raided the girl's house, where the agency seized one e-vaporiser that was tested to contain etomidate.

According to HSA, etomidate, which causes adverse effects including nausea, changes to blood pressure, seizures, and psychosis, should only be administered under medical supervision.

Guo added, "Recently, I have always seen youths making headlines for vaping. I felt very concerned. Things such as e-vaporisers are bad for health, so I hope the authorities could enforce the law more sternly to prevent similar incidents from happening again."

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Top images via Shin Min Daily News