Man jailed, caned for driving under influence of etomidate while making Kpod deliveries

SINGAPORE: A man who was arrested for driving under the influence of etomidate was caught committing the same offence again while delivering Kpods for his supplier.

Chua Beng Kai Jeremy, 32, was sentenced to three years and three months’ jail on Friday (Sep 4) for trafficking and consuming Kpods, as well as driving against the flow of traffic while under the influence of etomidate.

He was also sentenced to two strokes of the cane and will be disqualified from driving for five years after his release.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang had sought three years and five months’ jail to three years and nine months’ jail, as well as two strokes of the cane.

Highlighting the risks of inhaling etomidate, Mr Ang said offences involving driving under the influence of etomidate are particularly dangerous.

Between 2023 and 2025, 38 traffic accidents were linked to drug and etomidate use. Of these, 19 were fatal, with nine involving etomidate.

The fact that Chua committed the second offence while on bail for the first was a particularly aggravating factor, Mr Ang argued.

He also pointed to the substantial distance Chua drove on the second occasion, from Jurong to Punggol, while carrying out deliveries of Kpods.

Chua’s lawyer, Riko Issac, who runs his own practice, argued for two years and 10 months’ jail and two strokes of the cane. Both sides sought a driving disqualification of between four and five years.

In mitigation, Mr Issac said Chua had been introduced to Kpods in “difficult and stressful circumstances”, and that using them helped to alleviate his stress and misery.

Describing Chua as “the architect of his own disaster”, his lawyer said Chua became desperate to preserve his coping mechanism after falling into debt with his supplier, and agreed to perform delivery jobs to repay it.

“His time in remand has effectively left him no choice but to abstain from K-Pod abuse and completely quit cold turkey. He has taken the time spent in remand for introspection and is determined to never to repeat the same mistakes again,” the defence’s mitigation documents read.

WHAT HAPPENED

In August 2024, Chua was in debt from credit card spending and cash-line loans that he had used for online gambling. His parents took out various loans to help repay his debts.

Chua, a Singaporean, then decided to use his family’s car to take on delivery jobs. Around this time, he began smoking Kpods as he was stressed about having caused his parents to take on debt and was unable to find a job.

He initially used one Kpod a week but soon became addicted, using one every two days.

Chua subsequently accumulated a debt with his Kpod supplier, whom he contacted regularly through Telegram. The supplier offered to reduce the debt if Chua collected and delivered Kpods for him. Chua agreed.

On Aug 17, 2025, Chua was driving dangerously along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, travelling slowly and swerving between lanes.

An off-duty police officer driving in front of him noticed his dangerous driving and stopped his car, prompting Chua to stop as well. The officer showed his warrant card and questioned Chua. He noticed that Chua appeared dazed and was unable to answer coherently.

The officer called the police, who found vapes in Chua’s car. Chua was arrested and released on bail soon after.

A toxicology report later found etomidate in his bloodstream.

KPOD DELIVERIES

From Oct 14, 2025, Chua began delivering Kpods for his supplier. He was promised S$20 (US$15.80) for each delivery and a further S$10 reduction in his debt.

That day, Chua collected a large quantity of Kpods from an unknown person. He then made about 10 to 12 deliveries a day over the next few days.

On the evening of Oct 20, Chua drove to Jurong to collect a bag of 29 Kpods for more deliveries, after consuming Kpods himself. The bag also contained S$1,610 in cash, which his supplier said was his payment for previous deliveries and an advance payment for upcoming ones.

Chua was instructed to deliver the 29 Kpods to a location in Sengkang.

He then drove to Punggol to hand S$1,610 to an unknown person to pay off part of his parents’ debts, before driving towards his home in Punggol.

Just after midnight on Oct 21, he drove along Punggol Central towards Punggol Road against the flow of traffic for about 10m to 15m, causing another driver who was travelling in the correct direction to brake to avoid a collision.

Chua realised he was driving against traffic and stopped his car. The other driver called the police, who again found vapes in Chua’s car.

Chua was arrested, and a subsequent toxicology report again found etomidate in his bloodstream.

For trafficking etomidate, a Class C controlled drug, Chua could have been jailed for up to 10 years with five strokes of the cane. The minimum sentence is two years’ jail and two strokes of the cane.

The punishment for driving under the influence of etomidate is a jail term of up to 12 months, a fine of S$2,000 to S$10,000, or both.