Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has prosecuted and slapped SGD 102,000 worth of fines on 13 persons for selling electronic vapourisers (e-vapourisers) and related components.
They were convicted between September 2022 and March 2023, with one of the convicted persons, an 18-year-old, sentenced to undergo reformative training for a period of six months.
The convicted had purchased the e-vapourisers and related components from overseas and sold them illegally on various local social media and e-commerce platforms. Youth offender sentenced to undergo reformative training of six months.
E-vapourisers refer to battery-operated devices which deliver vapourised nicotine for users to inhale. They come in forms such as e-cigarettes, e-pipes, e-cigars and the like.
Ong Guo Wei Arron (18), had been caught selling e-vaporisers on Instagram and WhatsApp in May 2019.
While investigations were under way, he was caught again about two months later selling e-vapourisers and their components on Instagram and Carousell.
Tan Jun Kai (30) was caught by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers when they conducted a search of his car at the Woodlands Checkpoint in July 2019. The case was referred to HSA and investigations revealed that he had smuggled the items from Malaysia on a few occasions and sold them on his Telegram account.
Tan was fined SGD 37,000 for selling and offering for sale e-vapourisers and their related components.
Jaron Wong Shun Yi (31) was caught selling e-vapourisers and their components through a Telegram group. He had got his supplies from a supplier through Whatsapp. His domestic helper would help to deliver the items to buyers when he was not at home. Jaron was fined SGD 8,500.
“HSA conducts active online surveillance and will continue to take strong enforcement actions against those selling e-vapourisers and related components,” said the HSA statement. It has also launched multiple public service campaigns warning Singaporeans about the hazards of vaping.
It is an offence under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act to sell, possess for sale, import or distribute e-vapourisers and their related components in Singapore. Any person who is convicted is liable to a fine of up to SGD 10,000, or imprisonment of up to six months or both for the first offence, and a fine of up to SGD 20,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months or both for the second or subsequent offences, an HSA advisory stated.
It is also an offence for anyone to possess, purchase or use e-vapourisers and their related components. The penalty is a fine of up to SGD 2,000 per offence, it added.
From 2018 to 2022, HSA had prosecuted 101 persons for selling e-vapourisers and their related components.
