Man charged for having 5 Kpods containing etomidate

A man has been charged for possessing five Kpods containing etomidate, three of which were allegedly for sale.

On Aug 7, Muhammad Sabriee Mohd Tahar was charged in connection with an incident along Coleman Street at 12.10am on Oct 5, 2024.

The 22-year-old Singaporean was handed two charges under the Poisons Act.

The first charge was for possessing three vape pods containing etomidate in the area outside Grand Park City Hall hotel. The pods were meant for sale, according to court documents.

Etomidate is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act and import and sale of the substance require a licence.

The second charge was for possessing two additional vape pods containing etomidate which did not have a clear label indicating their contents and any distinction or mark indicating they contained poison.

Sabriee was also handed three charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act for having three Kpods for sale, and possessing three vapes and two Kpods for purposes other than for sale.

Sabriee, who arrived in court on crutches, also faces other charges including possessing 13 fraudulently obtained ATM cards, obstruction of justice by stomping on his mobile phone three times, and unauthorised use of ATM cards.

His pre-trial conference has been fixed on Aug 13.

He faces two years' jail or a fine of up to $10,000 or both for possessing Kpods for sale under the Poisons Act.

The penalty is the same for possessing poisons without a distinguishing mark or label under the Poisons Act.

For possessing imitation tobacco products for sale, he could be jailed up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.

Repeat offenders face double the maximum jail term and fine.

Sabriee could be fined up to $2,000 for possessing imitation tobacco products in the form of Kpods.

Man charged in July for making Kpods at home

In July, a man was charged for making etomidate-laced vapes at home with the intention of selling them.

This was the first case of its kind, according to the Health Sciences Authority.

Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim, 41, was handed five charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.

He was allegedly found with vapes and various related components in an HDB flat at Block 269B Yishun Street 22 on Dec 11, 2024.

These included 569 pieces of empty pod casings, 534 pieces of pod components, 1,485 pieces of pod covers and 100 loose e-vaporiser pods, among other items, according to charge sheets, according to charge sheets.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com