Synthetic drugs continue to reshape criminal markets across Southeast Asia, with organised crime syndicates adopting increasingly sophisticated methods to meet escalating demand. Among emerging concerns is the rapid spread of “K Pods,” a category of vaping products containing ketamine, etomidate, and their analogues. These substances, originally intended for medicinal use, are now being diverted and repackaged by criminal networks, posing significant public health and law enforcement challenges. Singapore and Malaysia have become focal points for distribution and manufacture of such products, highlighting the dynamic and complex nature of synthetic drug trade in the region.
The Emergence of ‘K Pods’ and Synthetic Drug Vaping Products
‘K Pods’ are disposable or refillable vaping cartridges infused with ketamine, sometimes in combination with etomidate—an anaesthetic agent increasingly abused recreationally—and its chemical analogues. The rise of these novel synthetic substance-laden vaping products is indicative of adaptive criminal strategies that exploit legal loopholes, emerging consumer trends, and novel delivery systems. Vaping devices appeal especially to younger demographics due to their discreet use, technological sophistication, and attractive packaging, allowing traffickers to reach a broader and younger user base.
In Singapore, ‘K Pods’ have garnered attention following law enforcement seizures that revealed multiple substances concealed within vaping products. Analyses showed not only ketamine and etomidate but also synthetic cannabinoids and designer benzodiazepines, amplifying concerns over the health risks posed by these unregulated and often mislabelled products. Similarly, Malaysian authorities identified illicit laboratories synthesising these substances and packaging them into vaping products destined for local consumption and export.
Singapore’s Fight Against ‘K Pods’ and Synthetic Drug Proliferation
Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) reported a marked increase in ketamine seizures over recent years, reaching the highest volume since records began in 2024. Ketamine now features prominently among synthetic drugs of concern, driven largely by the illicit vaping market. Accompanying this trend is a rise in ketamine-related treatment admissions, which more than doubled from the previous year—an alarming indicator of growing dependence and harm.
The Singaporean government has responded proactively through a novel legislative framework enacted on 1 June 2024, which controls psychoactive substances based on their psychoactive effects rather than precise chemical structures. This regulation provides authorities with enhanced flexibility to promptly restrict emerging NPS and their analogues, including etomidate and related synthetic drugs found in vaping products.
Law enforcement efforts have targeted distribution networks using encrypted online platforms and dark web marketplaces, recognising that digital channels have facilitated wider access to ‘K Pods’ and other synthetic substances. Multi-agency operations have seized significant quantities of vaping cartridges and disrupted manufacturing sites, yet the ease of manufacturing and import routes continues to challenge interdiction.
Malaysia’s Growing Role as a Transit and Production Hub
Across the border, Malaysia faces parallel challenges. Although the purity and seizure volume of crystal methamphetamine remain relatively stable, methamphetamine tablet seizures skyrocketed in 2024, reflecting intensifying trafficking activity. Methamphetamine tablets are commonly pressed illicitly in facilities across the region, supplying robust user demand.
More notably, Malaysia has seen an increase in synthetic cannabinoid seizures and the dismantling of clandestine manufacturing laboratories. In January 2025, Malaysian authorities seized a sophisticated laboratory capable of synthesising ecstasy, ketamine, and cocaine—activities emblematic of regional drug syndicates diversifying portfolios while leveraging technology and synthetic chemistry expertise.
Of particular concern is the detection of vaping products containing etomidate and ketamine, sometimes branded as ‘K Pods,’ which are sold online and penetrate drug markets with alarming speed. Seizures show that syndicates operating between Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand are actively manufacturing and trafficking these substances. Malaysian traffickers also use elaborate front companies and rely on online finance platforms to move illicit funds, blurring lines between organised crime and legitimate enterprises.
Organised Crime Networks: Digital Adaptation and Convergence
The proliferation of ‘K Pods’ underscores a broader evolution in organised crime within Southeast Asia: a shift towards leveraging technology, digital communications, and new psychoactive substances to evade law enforcement. Drug trafficking groups operate through decentralised cell structures, outsourcing transportation and distribution to local actors to minimise risk exposure.
Moreover, there is growing overlap between drug networks, underground banking operations, illegal online gambling, and cyberfraud syndicates. This convergence creates interconnected criminal ecosystems that foster not only drug manufacture and trafficking but also sophisticated money laundering and digital financial crimes. Cryptocurrencies such as Tether are increasingly used for illicit transactions, complicating conventional interdiction methods.
Singaporean and Malaysian authorities report that illicit ‘K Pod’ supply chains often span borders, using encrypted communications, anonymised courier services, and parcel consignments to facilitate clandestine distribution. These developments demand strengthened regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and enhanced capabilities for cyber financial investigation to disrupt these complex syndicates.
Public Health Risks and Regulatory Challenges
‘K Pods’ and other synthetic drug vaping products present serious health hazards, as they contain potent psychoactive substances of unpredictable purity and potency. Users—particularly youths—face risks of overdose, acute intoxication, dependence, and adverse mental health effects. The recent emergence of etomidate analogues further complicates efforts to monitor and control these substances, as minor chemical modifications circumvent existing controls.
Authorities face the dual challenge of evolving scientific analysis and legislative agility. Singapore’s recent move toward effect-based scheduling may offer a model for the region, but ongoing efforts are needed to keep pace with rapid chemical innovation and trafficking tactics exploiting regulatory gaps.
Conclusion: Addressing a Rapidly Evolving Synthetic Drug Threat
The surge of ‘K Pods’ and synthetic drug vaping products in Singapore and Malaysia epitomises the adaptability of organised crime syndicates in Southeast Asia’s dynamic drug landscape. This emerging public health and security challenge calls for a multidisciplinary response integrating law enforcement, public health, regulatory innovation, and regional partnerships.
Enhanced forensic capabilities, real-time information exchange, and novel legal frameworks targeting psychoactive effects promise steps forward, but persistent vigilance is essential. Tackling ‘K Pods’ and their synthetic drug constituents requires addressing the intertwined criminal economies that manufacture, finance, and distribute these substances via increasingly sophisticated digital and physical networks.
By focusing resources on dismantling these trafficking networks and expanding harm reduction measures, Singapore, Malaysia, and their regional partners can mitigate the harms inflicted by synthetic drug proliferation and help safeguard communities from this emerging threat.