Young woman convicted after she was caught with Kpods twice in 1½ months at same club

SINGAPORE - A young woman was so addicted to etomidate-laced e-vaporisers, or Kpods, that she was caught with them twice at the same nightclub in 1½ months.

Tan Xin Yi, now 20, was caught both times by enforcement officers from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in a club at Excelsior Shopping Centre in Coleman Street.

On Jan 20, Tan pleaded guilty to being in possession of a Kpod on two separate occasions. She committed the offences in 2025 on Aug 16 and Sept 28 at the nightclub.

She will return to court to be sentenced on March 12.

Under enhanced laws on vaping that were effective from Sept 1, 2025, first-time etomidate abusers will face an increased fine of $700 for those 18 and above, or $500 for those below 18. They will also be required to attend rehabilitation for up to six months.

On Nov 27, 2025, a 16-year-old male became the

first Kpod abuser to be admitted to a Singapore Prison Service drug rehabilitation centre

for two months after being caught for etomidate-related offences on three occasions.

This came after the interim listing on Sept 1 that year of etomidate as a Class C controlled drug, following a spate of incidents related to Kpods in Singapore.

The Government in August 2025 announced stepped-up

enforcement measures

to tackle the vape scourge, which has seen a record number of devices seized since a ban on vaping was introduced in 2018.

The Straits Times launched its anti-vaping campaign,

Vaping: The Invisible Crisis

, on July 13, 2025, to raise awareness about the issue here.

To report vaping offences and the sale of vaping devices to the authorities, members of the public can contact HSA’s Tobacco Regulation Branch on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily.