Alleged vape seller faces new charge after he was found with more than 190 Kpods
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Byron Chua Longming was accused of possessing 194 vape pods laced with etomidate, commonly known as Kpods, which were allegedly for sale.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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SINGAPORE – A man has been handed his sixth charge over the alleged possession of e-vaporiser pods and devices.
On Aug 21, Byron Chua Longming, 37, was accused of possessing 194 vape pods laced with etomidate, commonly known as Kpods, which were allegedly for sale.
He is said to have kept them in his car in the vicinity of Bugis+ shopping mall on Aug 6, 2024, just after noon.
His case will be mentioned again on Sept 18.
Chua faces five other charges that were first handed to him on July 30.
He was purportedly found with more than 300 vape pods and 70 vape devices in a car on Aug 6, 2024, the bulk of which was allegedly meant for sale.
Further investigations revealed that Chua had another 30 vape pods and two devices stashed in an HDB flat in Tampines.
If convicted of possessing vapes and their related components for sale, Chua could be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to six months for each charge.
If convicted of possessing, importing or selling the etomidate-laced pods, he could be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $10,000, or both.
In his National Day Rally speech on Aug 17, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said tougher action will be taken against vaping – which currently carries a maximum fine of $2,000 for those who possess, use or buy vapes.
PM Wong said that despite vaping being outlawed in Singapore in 2018, many are still finding ways around the law and smuggling the devices into the country.
He pointed out that the scourge will now be treated as a drug issue,
The Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to list etomidate under the Misuse of Drugs Act as an interim measure while the Ministry of Health continues to study further legislative action.
