Overview

• MOH and HSA reported that more than 3,700 people were caught for possessing or using vapes from April to June, with 19 large-scale smuggling cases yielding about 90,000 seized devices and components.
• In the first conviction tied to etomidate-laced pods, Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim received 16 months' jail for manufacturing Kpods for sale, with the judge citing the need for strong general deterrence.
• District Judge Wong Li Tein directed HSA to relook sentencing submissions for all vape offences, leading prosecutors to seek stiffer penalties and adjourn cases such as alleged seller Orison Toh’s.
• The SAF and Home Team have stepped up checks in camps and training schools through bag searches and urine testing, with offenders facing referral to HSA and internal disciplinary action.
• Authorities removed more than 2,000 online listings for vapes in the April to June period and identified 29 Kpod cases by Aug 12, as the Sept 1 reclassification raises maximum penalties to 10 years' jail and caning for traffickers.