PHV driver takes passenger who's allegedly on Kpods to police station

A private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver recently took his passenger to the police station after suspecting the latter to be on Kpods.

A dashcam video of the incident was shared March 16 on TikTok, and shows a man in a hoodie stumbling around in front of an HDB block as he approaches the car.

The clip then cuts to the vehicle pulling up outside a police station, where the man can be seen being dragged inside by a police officer.

@asiaone A private-hire driver drove his passenger straight to Clementi Police Division on March 16 morning after suspecting him of using Kpods. #sgnews #Singapore #Police #Vape ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, the PHV driver surnamed Lin shared that he had picked up his passenger at Toh Guan Road at around 6am that day.

He had noticed the latter walking unsteadily and holding an e-vaporiser device in his hand. 

Despite the man claiming he was only drunk, Lin believed the vape to contain Kpods, which are laced with etomidate, an anaesthetic agent.

"He couldn't walk well, and the smell of smoke on his body was so strong, it was really suspicious," the 29-year-old told the Chinese daily.

Lin diverted course and took his passenger to a Clementi police station, where he explained the situation and gave a statement to the police.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Health Services Authority (HSA) said that they had been referred a case involving a 34-year-old man by the police. 

He was found with two vaporisers and one pod which have been sent for testing.

Investigations are underway.

Stricter laws from May 1

The parliament passed a new law on March 6 to enact harsher penalties on vape and etomidate users and traffickers.

Under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act (TVCA), a name change from the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, vape users can be fined up to $10,000 from May 1, five times the current amount.

Fines for vape sellers have been raised by 20 times of up to $200,000 with a jail term of up to six years, while smugglers can be slapped with fines of up to $300,000, 30 times the current amount, and/or jailed up to nine years.

Etomidate will be removed as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. It will be reclassified as a "specified psychoactive substance" in a new category under the TVCA.

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drimac@asiaone.com