First motorist convicted of driving under influence of Kpods given over 6 years’ jail and caning
Claudia Tan
The Straits Times
March 27, 2026
The first motorist to be charged with a traffic offence involving etomidate was sentenced to five years and 18 months’ jail and given 10 strokes of the cane on March 31.
He was also disqualified from holding a licence for five years after his release from prison.
While he was out on bail over drug offences and high on Kpods, Tung Jun Yu, 27, drove his car against the flow of traffic on Supreme Court Lane and, shortly afterwards, went straight through a traffic junction, where he collided with another car.
The Singaporean pleaded guilty to five charges including driving under the influence of a drug, dangerous driving, and drug trafficking.
The court heard Tung had been driving against the flow of traffic on Supreme Court Lane around 5.40pm on July 14, 2025. The stretch of road is between the Supreme Court and the National Gallery Singapore.
A motorist, identified as W1 in court documents, wound down his window and told Tung he was driving in the wrong direction. Tung replied: “Huh?”
Seeing as Tung appeared dazed and did not reek of alcohol, W1 asked Tung if he was on drugs.
Tung responded by showing W1 his handphone with the Grab delivery application open and a map displayed, before continuing to slowly drive away.
W1 called the police.
Shortly after this, Tung got into an accident on Bencoolen Street.
Court documents stated that he was driving on the right-most lane along Bras Basah Road towards Raffles Boulevard.
It is a right-turn-only lane for motorists heading to Bencoolen Street, but Tung drove straight ahead and collided with another car.
When the driver of the car, W2, alighted from his vehicle to approach Tung for his particulars, he noticed that Tung’s speech was incoherent, and he was shivering. W2 called the police.
The police officer who attended to the incident noticed that Tung’s reaction was slowed, and his speech was slurred. He was also unable to keep his eyes fully open.
Three e-vaporisers were found in Tung’s car.
There were minor damages on both cars after the accident.
Although Tung tested negative on a breathalyser test, a blood analysis by the Health Sciences Authority detected etomidate in his blood sample.
Drug trafficking charges
Some months before the accident, Tung was arrested by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers.
On Oct 8, 2024, CNB officers found over 40g of methamphetamine and more than 30g of cannabis in his bedroom. They also seized $400 in cash from him.
Tung admitted that he earned the money by delivering drugs for a person he knew as “Binance”.
Under instructions from Binance, Tung would deliver methamphetamine, cannabis, Erimin 5 tablets, and ketamine.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh sought a sentence of five years and between 12 to 15 months’ jail, 10 strokes of the cane, and four years’ disqualification from driving for Tung.
DPP Koh also said that Tung had committed the traffic offences while out on bail over his drug offences.
“It is fortuitous that the actual harm caused is limited to property damage given the accused’s state and the high volume of traffic at the material time,” he said.
The prosecutor added that Tung had four prior convictions for traffic-related offences between 2022 and 2024, including speeding, failing to wear a seatbelt and driving without due care and concern.
DPP Koh pointed out that motorists who consume etomidate through vaping pose a danger to other road users.
He cited the instance of a fatal accident on May 13, 2025, where a car collided with a bus along Punggol Road.
Police had discovered 42 e-vaporisers and more than 1,200 pods in the car, with some containing etomidate.
Etomidate was found in the blood samples of the 30-year-old male driver, and the 28-year-old female passenger, who later died in hospital.
In November 2025, there was another fatal accident caused by a driver who was under the influence of etomidate-laced vapes, also known as Kpods.
On Nov 8, 2025, Lim Jinsheng, 29, mounted a pavement and crashed into two elderly women, killing one of them, an 83-year-old. The other woman, 84, suffered a fractured left hip and wrist.
This was Lim’s fourth accident in less than five months. He was denied bail and will return to court on April 8.
Tougher penalties
From May 1, etomidate will be classified as a Specified Psychoactive Substance (SPS) under the new Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act. The penalties for offences involving such substances are similar to existing drug laws.
Those convicted of possessing, purchasing or consuming an SPS can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to 10 years, or both.
The new law also carries heavier penalties for vape users, who can be fined up to $10,000. Sellers can be handed fines of up to $200,000 and up to six years’ jail.
Those caught smuggling vapes can be fined up to $300,000 and jailed for up to nine years.
Currently, vape users face a maximum fine of $2,000, while distributors, importers and sellers of vapes and their components face jail time of up to six months and a fine of up to $10,000.
Those found guilty of driving under the influence of a drug can be fined between $2,000 and $10,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.
The penalty for dangerous driving is a fine of up to $5,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.
In both instances, offenders can also be disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles.
For drug trafficking, an offender can be jailed between five and 20 years, and receive five to 15 strokes of the cane.
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