Overview

• Neo Yeow Siang, 44, was charged on August 7 with importing 3,080 vape pods and 5,600 heated tobacco sticks at Woodlands Checkpoint and possessing 10 disposable vaporisers in Sengkang
• Muhammad Sabriee Mohd Tahar, 22, faces five counts for possessing etomidate-laced Kpods—including three for sale—stemming from an October 2024 incident on Coleman Street
• A pre-trial conference for Muhammad is set for August 13, and Neo’s case will next be mentioned in court on September 18
• From January 2024 to March 2025 the Health Sciences Authority seized $41 million worth of illicit vapes, prompting increased interagency enforcement at checkpoints
• Proposed amendments under the Misuse of Drugs Act aim to reclassify etomidate as a Class C drug and impose stricter licensing requirements and higher penalties