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Private-hire driver approaches TP on BKE after teen passengers vape in backseat

Private-hire driver approaches TP on BKE after teen passengers vape in backseat

New Paper19-05-2025

Fifity-one-year-old private-hire driver Guo picked up two young passengers at about 9am on May 18.
Mr Guo told Shin Min Daily News that his passengers, who appeared to be in their teens, started to vape openly in his backseat.
"Their destination was an HDB flat in Choa Chu Kang," said Mr Guo.
"After they got into the car, they started smoking e-cigarettes. I felt something was wrong at the time."
Mr Guo admitted to eavedropping on their conversation and heard that the teens were going to pick up Kpods.
Kpods - vape juice that is usually mixed with etomidate, an anaesthetic used in some non-surgical procedures - are a growing scourge in Singapore, reported The Straits Times.
"This made me very worried, and they seemed to be 'dizzy' from smoking the e-cigarettes," said Mr Guo.
"They couldn't even speak clearly, so I thought I should report the situation to the authorities."
Mr Guo planned to drive to a police station but decided to approach the Traffic Police he saw on the Bukit Timah Expressway.
"I got out of the car and told the police what had happened," he recalled.
"Other police officers and ambulances arrived at the scene. The teens seemed very calm.
"I've seen a lot of reports about young people smoking e-cigarettes recently, which I find very worrying. I hope the authorities can enforce the law more strictly to prevent similar incidents from happening."

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