Four Singaporeans among 65 arrested in Vietnam over drug-laced vape trafficking ring

Vietnamese police arrested 65 people, including four Singaporeans and four Malaysians, on August 1-2, 2026, for allegedly operating a drug trafficking network out of Ho Chi Minh City that injected etomidate — a sedative classified as a narcotic in Vietnam earlier this year — into e-cigarette cartridges. Singaporean Melvin Tan Junjie, 30, and Malaysian Hoo Jia How, 30, were identified as alleged ringleaders; another Singaporean, Oh Jang Fong, was arrested for allegedly supplying the etomidate liquid. Police seized 1,331 e-cigarette cartridges and 140ml of etomidate-infused liquid, with the drug found to cause extreme drowsiness, impaired awareness, and potentially death when inhaled.