More than 2,700 people have been caught and fined for e-vaporiser related offences since enhanced penalties took effect on Sept 1. From Sept 1 to Nov 30, the authorities caught and fined a total of 2,710 culprits — 2,453 of whom were penalised for general vape offences while the remaining 257 were found with vapes containing etomidate, also known as Kpods. Of the 257 Kpod offenders, 162 have been placed on rehabilitation programmes at the Institute of Mental Health and Social Service Agencies, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in a joint statement on Friday (Dec 19). Meanwhile, a further six culprits are foreigners who have been repatriated or are pending repatriation, 18 culprits are in jail for crimes unrelated to vapes, and one culprit has been issued with a conditional warning. Investigations are ongoing into the remaining 70 Kpod suspects. Read more