Ex-NTU student who quit to open bak chor mee stall is alleged ringleader of cocaine vape ring in Korea

A former engineering student at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Ivan Tan Zhi Xuan, was arrested in Malaysia.

He is suspected of being the ringleader of a syndicate which tried to recruit students in South Korea to set up a distribution network for drug-laced vapes in Seoul.

Tan, who is 31-years-old, had previously left NTU back in 2019 to run a bak chor mee stall in Ang Mo Kio.

Syndicate first detected by NIS

Though vaping is legal in South Korea, there are several restrictions on their use and sales in the country, including a ban on sales to anyone under 19.

According to The Straits Times, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated that the influx of vapes that were laced with etomidate was a serious threat to the health and safety of the public.

With places like Thailand and Hong Kong cracking down on the drug, NIS began to track the infiltration of international drug trafficking organisations into the country.

Tan was later identified as a prime suspect, with his travel records showing that he made multiple trips to South Korea from 2023.

Following his alleged links to a drug syndicate, the NIS started to track his movements.

Security footage of Tan exiting Incheon Airport and hailing a taxi was also released by local television broadcaster KBS News.

Set up a headhunting firm in Gangnam

According to ST, the NIS alleged that Tan had set up a headhunting firm in Gangnam, Seoul, as part of a ruse to sell himself as a businessman.

Tan and three of his associates allegedly used the firm to recruit young South Koreans who had previously studied in Singapore.

Two of the associates, Tristan Chew Jin Zhong, 25, and Quek Kien Seng, 45, are Singaporeans, while the other associate is a 51-year-old Malaysian named Kong Sien Mee.

The syndicate hired the former students as distributors of Kpods, which are vapes laced with anaesthetic etomidate.

NIS stated that after it intercepted a shipment of drug-laced vapes allegedly linked to the syndicate, it sent agents to Malaysia, where Tan was based.

The four men were arrested in Malaysia

According to New Straits Times, following tip-offs by the NIS, Malaysian law enforcement agencies arrested the four men in Selangor, Malaysia, on Jun. 19.

The Royal Malaysia Police's Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) said they found 10 boxes containing 4,958 units of liquid vape cartridges suspected to contain 9.42 litres of cocaine in a car.

The stash is estimated to be valued at up to RM7.29 million (around S$2.2 million).

In a press conference on Jun. 23, the Malaysia police revealed that the syndicate is believed to rent luxury condominium units in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and package the drugs in the units before distributing them to other countries.

The syndicate's operations are believed to have began in March, with three of the suspects being paid S$100 to S$200 each day, while the last suspect, identified as Tan by ST, kept the profits that they received from the vape sales.

If convicted, the four men could face the death penalty, or life imprisonment with caning. The case is pending before the Malaysian courts.

According to the NIS, as cited in ST, investigations by South Korea and Malaysian authorities are being conducted to determine if cocaine was added to etomidate to enhance its hallucinogenic effects and addictiveness.

The NIS also alleged that Tan and three of his associates had tried to smuggle 20,000 vapes mixed with etomidate and cocaine each month, an amount believed to be enough to feed the addiction of two million people.

Some of Tan's associates wanted to get him out of custody

ST reported that Tan's former business partners in Singapore had received calls from some of his associates after he was arrested.

The callers asked for S$300,000 so that they could "pay the police" and get Tan out of custody.

His former partners said they rejected the callers and reported the matter to the police in Singapore.

They also removed Tan from the firm's list of directors.

Tan previously took a year off from his studies to start a bak chor mee business

Shin Min Daily News previously reported that Tan, who was then 25, took a year off from his studies in NTU to get the bak chor mee business going.

He inherited the stall's name from his wife's grandfather, who started the bak chor mee business in 1965.

The stall was originally located in Bedok.

ST reported that after the stall folded, Tan dabbled in other business ventures, with records listing him as the director of several companies in Singapore such as nightclubs, food and beverage establishments and vehicle rental firms.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News, Royal Malaysia Police