On July 30, Byron Chua Longming was handed five charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: A man was hauled to court after he was caught with 320 e-vaporiser pods and more than 70 e-vaporisers in a car at a Bugis shopping mall.
Most of the vapes and their related components were meant for sale, according to details revealed in court documents.
On Wednesday (July 30), Byron Chua Longming, 36, was handed five charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.
The Singaporean was purportedly found with the illicit products in a car on Aug 6, 2024, at about 12.30pm at Bugis Plus. Charge sheets did not state if it was his vehicle.
Of the products, 72 vapes and 320 pods were allegedly for the purposes of sale, while one other vape found in his possession was not meant for sale.
At about 4.40pm the same day, Chua was found to have more vapes and related components at an HDB flat at Block 217 Tampines Street 23.
He allegedly had 30 pods for the purposes of sale, and two vapes which were not meant to be sold.
A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prosecutor said on July 30 that the prosecution would be handing Chua one more charge at his next court mention on Aug 21.
If convicted of possessing vapes and their related components for sale, Chua could be fined up to S$10,000 and jailed for up to six months for each charge.
Having such products, even if they are not meant to be sold, carries a maximum fine of $2,000 per charge.
HSA seized $41 million worth of vapes from January 2024 to March 2025 – nearly fivefold the reported value of vapes seized from 2019 to end-2023, according to numbers compiled by The Straits Times.
The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs said in a joint statement on July 12 that they are looking at enhancing laws around vaping.
The authorities said enforcement agencies will be taking stern action against those who import, sell, distribute, possess, use or purchase e-vaporisers.
Since July 21, HSA has extended the operating hours for its Tobacco Regulation Branch hotline on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 to report vaping-related offences.
The hotline operates from 9am to 9pm daily, including on public holidays. HSA has also launched a new online portal to report vaping-related offences at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape
If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at stnewsdesk@sph.com.sg
- The Straits Times/ANN
