Batam customs arrests Singaporean over 40 etomidate vape cartridges — SkimNews
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- Batam Customs and Excise Office detained a Singaporean woman identified by her initials WSB at the Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal in Batu Ampar district on Sept 3 at 10pm local time as she arrived aboard the last ferry from Singapore.
- WSB was caught attempting to smuggle 40 vape cartridges containing etomidate, which Indonesian authorities classify as a class II narcotic and nonbarbiturate hypnotic, the source states.
- Etomidate-laced vape cartridges are known by the brand 'Kpods' in Singapore, the source attests, highlighting a cross-border drug trade term familiar to Singaporean users.
- The arrest took place in Batam, the Riau Islands — a busy ferry corridor between Singapore and Indonesia — making the seizure a direct bilateral enforcement action between the two neighbors.
Why it matters: A single traveler carrying 40 cartridges signals that Batam's ferry terminals are an active smuggling corridor for etomidate vapes moving between Singapore and Indonesia, where the substance is a controlled narcotic but remains loosely regulated across the causeway. The Sept 3 arrest gives Indonesian customs a named case to justify tighter screening on the high-volume Singapore–Batam ferry route.
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