More than 1,600 vaporisers and related components were discovered hidden beneath the bonnet of a Malaysia-registered car during an enhanced inspection at Singapore’s Woodlands Checkpoint.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the vehicle was stopped for further checks on Sept. 9 after information from its Integrated Targeting Centre flagged it for examination.
Search and examination officers then opened the engine bay and found boxes filled with vaporisers concealed underneath black trash bags taped over the area.
The haul was subsequently laid out across at least six tables, highlighting the scale of the seizure. A 32-year-old Malaysian man who was driving the car was arrested, and the case was referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for further investigation.
The discovery comes amid intensified enforcement against illegal vaporisers and etomidate-containing products entering Singapore.
Under Singapore’s Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act, etomidate and its analogues are classified as specified psychoactive substances. The law provides for significantly heavier penalties for illegal importation and supply.
Those convicted of importing such products can face between three and 20 years’ imprisonment and five to 15 strokes of the cane, while suppliers can face between two and 10 years’ imprisonment and two to five strokes of the cane.
The latest case is also part of a broader series of seizures at Singapore’s land checkpoints this year. In May, authorities charged two Malaysian nationals after 12,273 etomidate vaporiser pods were allegedly found concealed in a Malaysia-registered car entering through Woodlands. That case was described by HSA as the largest such importation haul at the time.
In another major case in August, more than 12,000 etomidate vaporiser pods were seized from a Malaysia-registered vehicle entering Singapore through Woodlands. HSA estimated the haul’s street value at about S$870,000, making it the largest seizure of etomidate pods reported by the authority at that point.
The repeated discoveries underscore the scrutiny faced by vehicles entering Singapore through its land checkpoints, where authorities have continued enhanced checks for prohibited and controlled items.
Investigations into the latest Woodlands Checkpoint seizure are ongoing.
