Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers in first Kpod case conviction
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Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim was caught in his flat with enough etomidate, in powder form, to produce more than 70 Kpods.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Follow topic:
- Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim admitted to making etomidate-laced Kpods at his home.
- He was caught with enough white powder containing etomidate to make more than 70 Kpods.
- He will be sentenced on Aug 26.
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SINGAPORE – A 41-year-old man has pleaded guilty to producing etomidate-laced pods for sale to e-vaporiser users. This case involves the first conviction in court linked to Kpods.
Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim was caught in his Yishun flat in December 2024
On Aug 13, the Singaporean, who is currently in remand, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, and most of them involved vaping-related products.
Akil had told investigators that before he committed the offences, he went to a Johor shopping mall in October 2024 and met a man known only as “Joe”, who offered him a job of preparing etomidate-laced vape pods for customers in Singapore.
Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prosecutor Yang Ziliang said that Joe would arrange for items such as bottles of “e-liquid”, empty pod casings, pod covers and etomidate powder to be sent to Akil’s home via courier.
Akil, who lived with his mother, had to mix the e-liquid with the powder and fill the empty pod casings with the mixture.
The filled pods would then be kept at the flat in preparation for upcoming orders.
Joe would share Akil’s mobile number with potential customers, who would contact Akil directly to order the vape pods.
Akil was paid $10 for every pod prepared and provided to customers.
Joe would either pay him directly in Johor or through a delivery person.
Court documents stated that Akil agreed to be part of the plan even though he knew vape products were illegal in Singapore.
In the early hours of Dec 11, 2024, he received a WhatsApp message from somebody known only as “Beast” who wanted to order pods.
Akil, who agreed to provide 100 pods to Beast, placed them in a paper bag, which he left outside his home. He also sent Beast a message, asking Beast to send someone to collect it.
Shortly before 12.40am that day, a deliveryman picked up the bag and received instructions to send it to Sin Ming Drive, near Bishan Street 22.
He later went to Yishun North Neighbourhood Police Centre to alert the authorities after he saw that it contained vape-related items.
At around 5.30am, HSA officers went to Akil’s home and uncovered 569 empty pod casings, 534 pod components and 1,485 pod covers.
They also found a bag containing the etomidate powder, syringes and a weighing scale.
Akil then admitted that Joe had taught him to use a cup to scoop about 15ml of etomidate powder, which would then be mixed with 50ml of e-liquid, or “juice”.
After that, he would use a syringe to inject about 1.5ml of the mixture into each vape pod.
Mr Yang said that at around 9am, Akil surrendered his passport to the authorities but was not arrested.
The court heard that the offender later tried to leave for Malaysia to visit his girlfriend, even though he did not have his passport with him.
In January 2025, he made a false statement to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that he had left his bag containing his identity card and passport at a coffee shop.
He claimed that only the card was returned later.
Akil was subsequently issued with a new passport, which allowed him to travel overseas several times before he was finally found out.
On Aug 13, Mr Yang urged the court to sentence him to up to a year and three months’ jail, stressing that young people have been caught using etomidate-laced vaporisers.
Citing some examples, he said: “In April 2025, a 13-year-old girl was seen vaping in public right outside these State Courts. She was unsteady in gait and appeared to be oblivious to her surroundings.
“HSA identified the girl and raided her residence, seizing one e-vaporiser that was tested to contain etomidate. A 25-year-old male who sold the etomidate e-vaporiser to her was also identified and is assisting with investigations.”
The prosecutor added that in another case in May, HSA raided the homes of two 16-year-old boys who had been vaping in a private-hire car and found etomidate in some of the pods seized.
“This trend of youth using these etomidate-laced vapes is extremely worrying and needs to be arrested by choking off the supply,” said Mr Yang.
Akil will be sentenced on Aug 26.
Etomidate is regulated under the Poisons Act. It has clinical use as an anaesthetic and its use is permitted only in clinical settings and under strict conditions.
Akil told investigators that he met a man known only as “Joe” at a Johor shopping mall, and the man offered him a job of preparing etomidate-laced vape pods for customers in Singapore.
PHOTOS: HSA
Experts told The Straits Times that the drug has been known to cause a type of muscle spasm called myoclonus, which patients may describe as tremors.
Symptoms of etomidate overdose include unsteadiness, sluggishness and mental confusion.
On July 30, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam announced that officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be seconded to beef up
MHA is expected to list etomidate as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in the coming weeks as an interim measure, while the Ministry of Health continues to study further legislative action against Kpod offenders.
If etomidate is listed as a Class C drug, users can be subjected to supervision and mandatory participation in a rehabilitation programme or committed to drug rehabilitation centres, similar to what drug abusers undergo.
Those who reoffend or commit other serious offences can also be jailed for at least a year.
To report vaping-related offences, call the HSA hotline on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, including public holidays. Reports can also be made online at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape
If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at stnewsdesk@sph.com.sg
