News
Another S'pore man, 18, charged for trafficking Kpods
He notified buyers of the availability of stock via Telegram.
April 07, 2026, 02:59 PM
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has charged an 18-year-old man, Goh Shao Zhi Cornelius, in court on Apr. 6, 2026 for the alleged trafficking of etomidate vaporiser pods, or Kpods.
He had allegedly sold the pods to buyers after notifying them of the availability of stock via messaging application Telegram.
The case
On Apr. 4, 2026, HSA officers acted on a tip-off and conducted an enforcement operation at Goh's place of residence.
During the search of the unit, HSA officers seized one vaporiser, 108 pods, and one packet of duty unpaid cigarettes.
Laboratory testing confirmed that the seized pods contained etomidate.
Investigations are ongoing.
The duty-unpaid cigarettes have been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
The case has been adjourned to May 4.
Second male to be charged by HSA
Goh is the second 18-year-old to be charged by HSA for alleged trafficking of etomidate vaporiser pods, the authority said.
Another man, Kwek Rui An Rayern, was the first 18-year-old to have been charged by HSA for alleged trafficking of etomidate e-vaporiser pods on Oct. 17, 2025.
Penalties
Under the current enhanced penalties framework that took effect on Sep. 1, 2025, importers, sellers and distributors of etomidate vaporisers face stiffer penalties.
These include three to 20 years’ jail and five to 15 strokes of the cane for importers, and two to 10 years’ jail and two to five strokes of the cane for sellers and distributors.
From May 1, 2026, the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act 1993 (TVCA) will come into force.
Under TVCA, etomidate and its analogues will be listed as Specified Psychoactive Substances (SPS).
The penalties related to vaporisers containing SPS are aligned with the relevant penalties in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 under the current enforcement framework.
Importers face three to 20 years’ jail and five to 15 strokes of the cane.
Suppliers face two to 10 years’ imprisonment and two to five strokes of the cane.
Top photo via HSA
