He lost his daughter to Kpods. Now, this Singaporean aims to avert next tragedy

Since losing his only daughter in a fall from their high-rise flat in Singapore, Delfard Tay has turned grief into purpose, sounding the alarm on drug-laced vapes that put teenagers’ lives at risk.

Authorities in the Southeast Asian island state have clamped down on e-cigarettes, introducing strict measures in August to combat a worrying rise in the use of so-called Kpods – vapes spiked with synthetic drugs such as ketamine.

Tay said that his daughter, 19-year-old Shermaine, was struggling with substance abuse before her death last year.

“Initially she was vaping” nicotine substances, he said, but one day “she showed me this new product … you smoke and you get high”.

Shermaine was referring to etomidate, a short-acting anaesthetic that can trigger hallucinations, seizures and erratic behaviour.

Much like other vapes, Kpods often draw young people and, despite being illegal, are readily available on online platforms like Telegram.