Singapore's first Kpod conviction: a Yishun flat was a DIY drug-vape lab

In Singapore's first-ever conviction for manufacturing "Kpods", a man was found to have been producing etomidate-laced vape pods from his HDB flat in Yishun. On 11 December 2024, Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim, 41, was caught with 26.4g of etomidate powder — enough for more than 70 Kpods — along with 100 finished pods and thousands of pod components. He was undone by an ordinary delivery: a Lalamove courier picked up a parcel of 100 pods Akil had left outside his flat, realised it contained vape products, and alerted police at Yishun North Neighbourhood Police Centre, leading to a Health Sciences Authority raid. Akil pleaded guilty in August 2025 and was sentenced on 26 August 2025 to 16 months' jail and a $400 fine. The case landed amid a national crackdown: etomidate — an anaesthetic that can cause seizures, breathing difficulties and psychosis when inhaled — was being found in roughly one in three sampled vapes, and was listed as a Class C drug in September 2025.