Eight Singaporeans were arrested on Wednesday, September 10, during the first major Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) operation against vaping since stiffer penalties were introduced on September 1.
Over 20 people participated in the six-hour-long operation, including members of CNB's Special Task Force, which conducts high-risk operations like house raids and car chases.
According to CNB, several vape-related items and over 400 e-vaporizer pods suspected of containing etomidate were confiscated from the operation in Telok Blangah Rise, Hougang, and Boon Lay Drive.
A suspected vape trafficker who operated out of a three-room apartment in Telok Blangah is among those who were taken into custody. The Straits Times reported that the apartment is not his registered address.
At around 6 pm, the 26-year-old man was arrested at the void deck while he was preparing to deal with a 28-year-old man who was also arrested as a suspected buyer.
Officers had to encircle and pin both men to the ground after they attempted to resist arrest.
After being returned to the apartment, the 26-year-old suspected trafficker was searched.
Inside the unit, a second 26-year-old man who was thought to be an accomplice was taken into custody.
A 23-year-old man who was thought to be another buyer was taken into custody outside the apartment shortly after.
According to Straits Times report, a big bag filled with cardboard boxes, packing supplies, and pieces of styrofoam were scattered throughout the minimalist living room. Inside the unit, 327 etomidate-laced pods, vape-related supplies, and packing materials were discovered.
Processing the items and recording the two men's statements took about five hours. At approximately 11.30 pm, the men were driven off in unmarked vehicles.
Another CNB team was involved in a car chase that evening while pursuing a man who had ridden out on a motorcycle from the Telok Blangah apartment.
They stopped him at around 6 pm on Braddell Road after pursuing him in cars and motorcycles.
As another officer rode his motorcycle to a Serangoon Avenue 1 parking lot, where the suspect was questioned and searched, he was forced to get into an unmarked vehicle.
There were two packages found beneath his bike seat. A "Thank you" sticker was adhered to the front of every package.
In the packages, CNB discovered five e-vaporizer pods that were allegedly laced with etomidate. Another name for these pods is Kpods. ST is aware that he wasn't arrested and was only helping with the investigations.
In Hougang and Boon Lay, four more Singaporeans were apprehended.
At an apartment on Hougang Avenue 9, two men, aged 29 and 32, were taken into custody on drug-related charges.
The unit contained a number of vape-related items, S$20,818 in cash, 498 yuan (S$90), and RM5,800 (S$1,800).
Separately, police discovered vape-related items at the Boon Lay residence of a 23-year-old man who was arrested there. Five vape pods that were thought to contain etomidate were among the items.
At the same spot, an 18-year-old woman was apprehended after it was discovered that she was carrying Kpods. According to CNB, preliminary inquiries showed that she was ready to take additional Kpods from the 23-year-old man.
More than 5,000 front-line enforcement officers from CNB, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, the Land Transport Authority, the Ministry of Manpower, and public transportation operators have been authorized by HSA to take action against vape users since September 1.
The enforcement force, which includes staff from the Singapore Police Force, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the Ministry of Education, the National Environment Agency, the National Parks Board, and the HSA, is nearly doubled as a result.
After etomidate was designated as a Class C controlled substance on September 1, 40-year-old Derek Khor Boon Chun was the first individual to face charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act on September 8.
On September 6, he was apprehended at a parking lot on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 with 43 Kpods allegedly on him.
Traffickers who are found guilty face two to five strokes of the cane and a sentence of two to ten years in prison.
A total of 232 people have been arrested by the authorities for vape-related offenses as of September 8.
Those who abuse etomidate for the first time can be fined S$700 for those over 18 or S$500 for those under 18. Additionally, they have to spend up to six months in rehabilitation.
A six-month mandatory supervision period, including drug testing and rehabilitation, will be imposed on those who are caught a second time.
Kpod abusers who are 16 years of age or older and are apprehended for the third time or more will be subject to a 12-month program that includes drug rehabilitation treatment, drug testing, and supervision.
Under-16s will be subject to a year of required supervision and drug testing.
The Health Sciences Authority hotline can be reached from 9 am to 9 pm, every day, including public holidays, at 6684-2036 or 6684-2037, to report offenses related to vaping. Online reports can also be submitted at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape.
