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The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Singapore intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun
SINGAPORE: The ongoing crackdown on e-vapourisers turned dramatic on July 10 when an enforcement officer dived into a moving car to stop a suspected peddler from escaping. The scene played out in Bishan Street 13, when the alleged pusher tried to flee during an operation by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). As HSA officers moved in to surround the car, the driver revved his engine and tried to speed away. One officer opened the left front door and jumped in, which forced the driver to stop about 50m away. The Straits Times, posing as an interested buyer online, had contacted four sellers who were offering e-vapourisers and etomidate-laced pods, or Kpods, on social media platforms including Telegram. Kpods are vapes that contain vape juice mixed with potent ingredients such as etomidate or ketamine. Etomidate is currently classified as a poison under the Poisons Act. This means a licence is required for its importation or sale. Under the Act, those found in possession of or using pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,808), or both. The loss of control - including seizures and psychotic episodes - have unsurprisingly led to the vapes acquiring names such as Space Oil and Zombie Vape. One seller responded within minutes, saying he could sell two Kpods for S$140, including delivery. After a brief exchange of messages, the peddler agreed to meet in Bishan, saying a 'delivery man' would drop off the item. At 3.45pm, a grey car arrived at the location and an HSA officer posing as the buyer approached it. The officer identified himself as an enforcement agent and the man panicked and tried to make a getaway. That was when another officer jumped into the car as it accelerated. After the man was detained, officers searched his car and found several white envelopes containing Kpods that had been marked for delivery. Officers also found multiple folders, each named with different brands of Kpods such as 'Zombie' or 'USDT'. In total, HSA officers seized 28 vape devices and 814 vape pods from the man's car. ST understands the majority of the pods may be Kpods. The haul was larger than anticipated. The suspect, who is 27 years old, claimed he was just the delivery man. Officers later raided his residence nearby and found a small stash of vapes and related components in his bedroom. He was the second young peddler to be caught within a matter of weeks. Acting on a tip-off, HSA raided a residence in the vicinity of Yishun Avenue 6 on June 23, where they caught a 22-year-old woman. Three of her friends – two women, aged 22 and 33, and a 32-year-old man – were also in the flat. The four suspects appeared disoriented and groggy when HSA officers checked them. The suspects later claimed to have inhaled Kpods just before the raid. HSA officers found 219 vapes and related components. A large proportion of the products is believed to be Kpods. ST, which accompanied the enforcement officers on the raid, understands the four are colleagues from a nightclub. The 22-year-old woman, who works as a hostess, had allegedly sold Kpods on social media. Her customers included her colleagues. The operation was one of many HSA has been conducting to tackle the vaping scourge, which has become more insidious with the influx of drug-laced vapes. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned in a report in May of the emergence of etomidate abuse in East Asia and South-East Asia, including Singapore. The number of cases involving etomidate-laced vape pods has nearly tripled in Singapore to 28 in the first six months of 2025, compared with ten in the whole of 2024. Given the emergence of laced e-vapourisers, the Government is considering if current enforcement laws should be enhanced, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Home Affairs told ST. HSA conducts multiple operations a week targeting trade in e-vapourisers. The agency also works closely with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to deter and detect attempts at smuggling vaping products through Singapore's borders. Jessica Teo, assistant group director of HSA's Vigilance, Compliance and Enforcement Cluster, said vaping has to be tackled through a multi-agency approach that covers legislation, enforcement and public education. 'We have intensified operations against both physical and online distribution networks, strengthened border controls with ICA, and increased enforcement presence in public spaces where vaping is prevalent,' said Teo on HSA's efforts. From January 2024 to March 2025, more than 20,800 travellers were checked at air, land and sea checkpoints during joint operations between HSA and ICA. HSA said 101 people were caught with e-vapourisers during these operations. It added: 'Additionally, ICA detected e-vapouriser smuggling cases involving 91 smugglers and referred them to HSA.' In January, the agency raided an industrial unit and seized more than 8,700 vapes and components worth around S$137,000, including etomidate-laced devices. Between January 2024 and March 2025, MOH and HSA said more than S$41 million worth of vapes and related components was seized. More than 14,600 people were caught by the authorities in 2024, compared with just 4,916 in 2022. Those arrested have also included major distributors. One of the largest hauls to date occurred in March 2024. Two men transporting two packages of vapes were stopped at a roadblock near St Andrew's Road. This led the authorities to raid two warehouse units, which held more than 400,000 vapes worth more than S$6 million. The previous record haul was in 2021, when HSA seized more than S$2.2 million worth of e-vapourisers and related components from a storage facility in Boon Lay. The S$6 million raid was in the news recently when two men were charged in court over trying to break into a warehouse HSA uses to store evidence, including confiscated vapes, in an attempt to steal the seized vapes. The men were allegedly working for one Chua Wee Ming, who had imported vapes and related components into Singapore for distribution. As part of efforts to tackle vaping, HSA also collaborates with e-commerce and social media platforms to take down e-vapouriser online listings. It said: 'More than 6,800 listings of e-vapourisers and related components online were removed from January 2024 to March 2025. This was more than double the 3,100 listings removed in 2023.' HSA added that 15 individuals were also identified and fined for posting photographs or videos of e-vapourisers on their social media accounts in the same period. - The Straits Times/ANN
The Star
a day ago
- Health
- The Star
Singapore public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes
FILE PHOTO: Electronic vape seized at Custom Cargo KLIA Complex in Sepang on June 19, 2025.–AZMAN GHANI/The Star SINGAPORE: Public healthcare institutions have been told to record all suspected and confirmed etomidate-linked vaping cases, in a sign that the health authorities are treating vapes laced with etomidate more seriously. In a circular dated July 9, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said medical practitioners should also get patients to surrender their e-vapourisers and consider sending their urine samples for testing. This is because both authorities noticed a worrying increase in the number of e-vapoUrisers detected containing etomidate in Singapore between 2024 and 2025. Such devices are also known as 'Kpods', which the authorities have recently intensified crackdowns on. The circular highlighted the report in March by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which said etomidate had been notably detected in illicit drug markets in East and South-East Asia. Etomidate is a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice as an anaesthetic agent and is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act. This means a licence is required for its importation or sale. Etomidate found in vapes or supplied in oil capsules or formulations to be inhaled directly into users' lungs are not medical products and are prohibited. Under the Act, those found in possession of or using pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,798), or both. MOH and HSA said that because of the rising concerns, they are studying the harm and addictiveness of etomidate use in vapes, through those who seek medical attention. These studies will inform and shape policy, including whether existing regulations need to be tightened or amended. On July 12, MOH and the Ministry of Home Affairs said they were considering further steps to better address the vaping issue, including whether current laws for enforcement could be enhanced. The number of cases involving etomidate-laced vape pods has nearly tripled in Singapore to 28 cases in the first six months of 2025, compared with ten in the whole of 2024. The MOH-HSA circular was addressed to emergency departments, urgent care centres, departments of psychiatry of public healthcare institutions, and the National Addictions Management Service Centre at the Institute of Mental Health. In it, the authorities said medical practitioners should reassure patients that enforcement actions will not be taken against them for previous vape use if they voluntarily come forward to seek medical help. Medical practitioners were told to observe symptoms and signs like seizures, dizziness, confusion, slurred speech, coughing, arrhythmias and thermal injury to airways. In the circular, the authorities invoked powers under the Healthcare Services Act, requiring licensed medical practitioners to comply with the instructions. Those who fail to do so can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to S$10,000. During medical consultation, medical practitioners should confiscate the vapes, place them in ziplock bags and lock them up. They should also consider sending patients' urine samples to HSA for toxicology testing. MOH and HSA said members of the public who have sought assistance through the Health Promotion Board's QuitLine may be directed to seek medical help at public health institutions' emergency departments. After treatment, these emergency departments may refer patients to the QuitLine on 1800-438-2000 for continued support. Participants of HPB's I Quit programme need not worry about being fined or prosecuted, as it does not presume they have or use vaping products. But if they are caught using or possessing such items, then they will be prosecuted. MOH and HSA previously said more than S$41 million worth of vapes and related components were seized between January 2024 and March 2025. More than 14,600 people were caught by the authorities in 2024, compared with 4,916 in 2022. - The Straits Times/ANN
AsiaOne
a day ago
- Health
- AsiaOne
Medical practitioners must record Kpod cases, seize vapes: MOH, HSA, Singapore News
Medical practitioners must now record all cases of e-vaporiser use and related symptoms suggesting etomidate intoxication, amid a "rising concerns" regarding Kpod use in Singapore. In a circular issued on July 9, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said that there has been a "concerning increase" in the use of Kpods — e-vaporisers containing the anaesthetic agent etomidate — in Singapore between 2024 and 2025. "Some users of these products have exhibited etomidate-related adverse effects, such as the loss of motor coordination, confusion, dizziness and slurred speech," the healthcare authorities said. The circular highlighted how etomidate and its analogues have been notably detected in illicit drug markets in East and South-east Asia, according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report in March. Etomidate is an anaesthetic agent used in clinical settings and is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act. This means a licence is required for its import or sale. In a bid to crackdown on Kpod use, MOH and HSA said they are studying the "harm and addictiveness of etomidate use in e-vaporisers" through individuals who seek medical attention. This include those who seek help at the emergency departments, urgent care centres or the psychiatry departments of the public healthcare institutions or National Addictions Management Service in the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). The studies will inform and shape policy going forward, including whether existing regulations and license conditions issued need to be tightened or amended. Confiscate all e-vaporisers Currently, those possessing or using pods containing etomidate can face a maximum penalty of imprisonment for up to two years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, under the Poisons Act. According to the circular, medical practitioners were told to observe symptoms like slurred speech, seizures, motor incoordination and arrythmias, among a list of symptoms related to etomidate intoxication. They were also instructed to confiscate all e-vaporisers and consider sending patients' urine samples to HSA for toxicology testing. Medical practitioners were also informed to reassure patients that enforcement actions against them for previous e-vaporiser use will not be taken when they voluntarily come forward to seek medical assistance. MOH and HSA also said that members of the public who have sought assistance through the Health Promotion Board's smoking/vaping cessation phone counselling service, QuitLine, may be directed to seek medical advice and assessment at public health institutions' emergency departments. MOH and HSA had previously said that over 17,900 persons were caught for the possession and use of e-vaporisers from January 2024 to March 2025. Over $41 million worth of vapes and related components were also seized between that period. [[nid:718087]]
Straits Times
a day ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Why Trump is attacking Biden over autopen signatures
Autopens have been use in the White House for decades, opening up the possibility that anyone with access to the device could exercise presidential power. For decades, presidents have used autopens to keep up with the relentless stream of paperwork that crosses their desk. But it's not just a matter of saving them from hand cramps. When the president is travelling, time-sensitive documents – such as bills to keep the government open – may need a signature right away, and it's not always feasible to fly the original documents to wherever the president is. Still, the use of the autopen has long raised questions, because it opens up the possibility that anyone with access to the device could exercise presidential power, without a clear written record that the president himself approved it. The latest round of controversy concerns US President Donald Trump's claim that certain orders issued by his predecessor, Mr Joe Biden, are invalid because they were signed using an autopen . Among the contested actions are a series of preemptive pardons for high-profile adversaries of Mr Trump. Mr Trump has also suggested that aides to Biden may have affixed Mr Biden's signature to official documents without the president's authorisation. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms, 1 lawyer over seized properties Business 'Some cannot source outside China': S'pore firms' challenges and support needed amid US tariffs Multimedia From local to global: What made top news in Singapore over the last 180 years? World Trump arms Ukraine and threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil Singapore Turning tragedy into advocacy: Woman finds new purpose after paralysis Opinion Sumiko at 61: Everything goes south when you age, changing your face from a triangle to a rectangle Sport World Aquatics C'ship women's 10km open water swimming event delayed by a day due to water quality Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun In an interview with the New York Times on July 10, Mr Biden denied the charge . 'I made every decision,' he said. He added his use of the signing device for clemency actions was a practical decision because 'we're talking about a whole lot of people.' The Trump White House, the Justice Department and Congress have all launched investigations into Mr Biden's use of the autopen. Here's what to know about the device that has repeatedly been implicated in presidential controversies. What is an autopen? An autopen is a device that replicates a signature using a mechanical stylus, making the signature appear to be handwritten. The earliest mechanical writing device, patented in 1803, allowed users to create a duplicate of the letter they were writing by connecting two pens through a system of levers. The user would write with the first pen, and the second would move across a second piece of paper in synchrony. President Thomas Jefferson used it extensively, calling it 'the finest invention of the present age.' The technology eventually evolved to the point where a robot arm could duplicate a signature without the user's involvement. Those robotic autopens became popular across the federal government in the 1940s, when Mr Harry Truman became the first president to use one. How have presidents used autopens? At first, presidents used autopens to sign ceremonial mass mailings like holiday cards and letters of condolences. To maintain the illusion that correspondents were getting a genuine presidential autograph, the White House was typically circumspect about its use of the device. Then, in 1968, Mr Lyndon B. Johnson allowed his to be photographed for a National Enquirer article under the headline, 'The Robot That Sits in for the President.' In 2005, White House lawyers asked the Justice Department for an opinion on whether the president may sign a bill by autopen, which no president had done. The DOJ concluded that under the historical and legal meaning of the word 'sign' in the early republic, 'a person may sign a document by directing that his signature be affixed to it by another,' and that 'the President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill to sign it.' What the president cannot do, the Justice Department said, is delegate the decision about whether to sign a bill. Mr Barack Obama became the first president to sign a bill with an autopen when, in 2011, he remotely signed an extension of the Patriot Act with the device while in Europe. In all, he used it to sign at least seven time-sensitive bills. He also used it for at least 78 pardons in the last month of his presidency. Mr Trump told reporters he has used an autopen, but only for unimportant papers. Did Biden use autopens? Yes. According to the New York Times, Mr Biden used an autopen on 25 pardon and commutation warrants between December 2024 and the end of his presidency. He is also confirmed to have used an autopen to remotely sign a short funding extension for the Federal Aviation Administration while traveling in San Francisco in May 2024. Whether he used the device in other cases is less clear. On March 6, the Oversight Project, an arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, sparked Mr Trump's interest in Mr Biden's usage of the autopen by pointing out that digital records of Biden's executive orders published in the Federal Register all appear to have the same signature. However, the Office of the Federal Register said that's true of all presidents: The publication has one graphic image of a president's signature that it uses on all presidential documents, and Mr Trump's executive orders, too, would all look like they had the same signature in the register. The versions archived in the official journal of the executive branch are not images of the actual signed orders. Is a pardon signed by autopen legally sound? During Mr Obama's presidency, Republicans raised objections to his use of the autopen to sign legislation. In 2011, a group of Republican members of Congress signed a letter demanding he re-sign the Patriot Act extension by hand and end the practice of signing bills with an autopen. However, the Obama administration leaned on the 2005 DOJ opinion to justify the use of autopens, and the practice was never challenged in court. Pardons present a separate use case from legislation, and presidents are probably on even firmer legal ground there. A 1929 Justice Department opinion on pardons held that 'neither the Constitution nor statute prescribed the method by which executive clemency shall be exercised or evidenced. It is wholly for the president to decide.' In 2024, a federal appeals court found that a presidential pardon doesn't even have to be in writing. The decision – which was issued in a case brought by an inmate who said Mr Trump had verbally promised to commute his sentence – found that 'nothing in the Constitution restricts the President's exercise of the clemency power to commutations that have been rendered through a documented writing.' A political scientist who assembled a database of clemency warrants issued by presidents since George Washington said it contained a large number of unsigned – but legally unquestioned – warrants. BLOOMBERG
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Singapore cracks down on drug-laced vapes; World Aquatics postpones race at Sentosa due to water quality: Singapore live news
Singapore is cracking down on criminal operations selling drug-laced vapes known as Kpods which is becoming an increasing problem across Asia. This includes weekly enforcement operations by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) as well as public healthcare institutions doing their part to record all suspected and confirmed etomidate-linked vaping cases. The women's open water 10km race at Sentosa was postponed this morning (15 July) by World Aquatics after water quality levels failed to meet "acceptable thresholds", organisers said. The race has been pushed until tomorrow (16 July) "in the utmost interest of athlete safety." Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates: Singapore has stepped up efforts to cripple criminal operations selling drug-laced vapes known as Kpods, which typically contain etomidate or ketamine. In one dramatic bust in Bishan Street 13, an officer from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) dived into a car to stop an alleged dealer from speeding away. Once the man was detained, officers searched his car and found several white envelopes containing Kpods. The envelopes with the Kpods were marked for delivery. In total, 28 vape devices and 814 vape pods were seized from the man's car. It is just one example of multiple HSA operations that happen in a week targeting the booming illegal trade in e-vaporisers. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned in a recent report that organised crime groups were pushing drug-laced vapes in Asia – including Singapore. The Straits Times also reported that public healthcare institutions have been told to record all suspected and confirmed etomidate-linked vaping cases. A race at the World Aquatics Championships was postponed just hours before it was due to start after water quality levels in Sentosa failed to meet "acceptable thresholds", it was announced by organisers. The women's open water 10km race at Sentosa was scheduled for 8am this morning (15 July) but has been pushed until tomorrow (16 July) "in the utmost interest of athlete safety." "While testing in recent days has consistently shown water quality at the venue to meet World Aquatics' acceptable thresholds, analysis of samples taken on 13 July surpassed these thresholds," read a statement from World Aquatics. "The decision to postpone racing was made in the best interests of athlete health and safety, which remains World Aquatics and the Singapore 2025 Organising Committee's top priority." It is unclear why tests on the water samples on 13 July exceeded quality thresholds Singapore has stepped up efforts to cripple criminal operations selling drug-laced vapes known as Kpods, which typically contain etomidate or ketamine. In one dramatic bust in Bishan Street 13, an officer from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) dived into a car to stop an alleged dealer from speeding away. Once the man was detained, officers searched his car and found several white envelopes containing Kpods. The envelopes with the Kpods were marked for delivery. In total, 28 vape devices and 814 vape pods were seized from the man's car. It is just one example of multiple HSA operations that happen in a week targeting the booming illegal trade in e-vaporisers. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned in a recent report that organised crime groups were pushing drug-laced vapes in Asia – including Singapore. The Straits Times also reported that public healthcare institutions have been told to record all suspected and confirmed etomidate-linked vaping cases. A race at the World Aquatics Championships was postponed just hours before it was due to start after water quality levels in Sentosa failed to meet "acceptable thresholds", it was announced by organisers. The women's open water 10km race at Sentosa was scheduled for 8am this morning (15 July) but has been pushed until tomorrow (16 July) "in the utmost interest of athlete safety." "While testing in recent days has consistently shown water quality at the venue to meet World Aquatics' acceptable thresholds, analysis of samples taken on 13 July surpassed these thresholds," read a statement from World Aquatics. "The decision to postpone racing was made in the best interests of athlete health and safety, which remains World Aquatics and the Singapore 2025 Organising Committee's top priority." It is unclear why tests on the water samples on 13 July exceeded quality thresholds
