A 41-year-old Yishun man has pleaded guilty to producing etomidate-laced pods for sale to e-vaporiser users.
Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim was caught in his flat in December 2024 with enough etomidate, in white powder form, to produce more than 70 Kpods.
Akil, who is currently in remand, will be sentenced on Aug 26.
The court heard that the Singaporean had tried to leave for Malaysia to visit his girlfriend after he was caught. This was despite the authorities having impounded his passport earlier.
In January 2025, he made a false statement to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that he had left his bag containing his identity card and passport at a coffee shop.
He claimed only the card was returned later.
Akil was subsequently issued with a new passport, which allowed him to travel overseas several times before he was finally was found out.
Etomidate is regulated under the Poisons Act. It has clinical use as an anaesthetic, permitted only in clinical settings and under strict conditions.
Experts told The Straits Times that the drug has been known to cause a type of muscle spasm called myoclonus, which patients may describe as tremors.
Symptoms of etomidate overdose include unsteadiness, sluggishness and mental confusion.
On July 30, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam announced that officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be seconded to beef up enforcement efforts by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) against etomidate-related offences.
MHA is expected to list etomidate as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in the coming weeks as an interim measure, as the Ministry of Health continues to study further legislative action against Kpod offenders.
If etomidate is listed as a Class C drug, users can be subjected to supervision and mandatory participation in a rehabilitation programme or committed to drug rehabilitation centres, similar to what drug abusers undergo.
Those who reoffend or commit other serious offences can also be jailed for at least a year.
To report vaping-related offences, call the HSA hotline on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, including on public holidays. Reports can also be made online at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape
Shaffiq Alkhatib for The Straits Times
Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods in first Kpod case conviction
