Overview

• ICA officers arrested a Malaysian van driver at Woodlands Checkpoint on Aug 27 after finding more than 890 e‑vaporisers and about 6,700 components concealed in boxes, an air‑conditioning unit and vehicle compartments, with the case referred to HSA.
• From Sept 1, etomidate and several variants will be listed as Class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act until Feb 28, 2026, enabling jail terms of three to 20 years and five to 15 strokes of the cane for importers, and two to 10 years with two to five strokes for sellers and distributors.
• Consumers face tougher sanctions: first‑time Kpod abusers will be fined ($500 for under‑18s, $700 for adults) and required to attend rehabilitation of up to six months, with repeat offenders subject to arrest, mandatory supervision and eventual detention at a drug rehabilitation centre.
• General vaping penalties are also rising, with higher fines for first‑time users and a new requirement for second‑time offenders to undergo three months of rehabilitation before prosecution on subsequent offences up to a $2,000 court fine.
• Authorities are surging enforcement resources, with several hundred police and CNB officers supporting HSA, nearly 700 MOM officers empowered to act, stepped‑up checkpoint checks yielding over 850 items between Aug 18–22, and two separate import cases charged in court.