SINGAPORE: Nineteen large-scale vape smuggling cases were detected at Singapore’s air, land, and sea checkpoints between April and June, leading to around 90,000 vapes and related products seized.
In a joint media release on Tuesday (Aug 26), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said more than 3,700 people were also caught possessing or using vapes from April 1 to June 30.
This is an increase of almost 20 per cent from the previous quarter, when more than 3,100 persons were caught, and also exceeds the 2,530 people caught in the same period in 2024.
As at Aug 12, 29 cases of etomidate-laced vapes, or Kpods, have been detected. Nine cases are related to the import or sale, while the rest involve illegal use, said the agencies.
Between April and June, HSA fined eight people who posted photos or videos of themselves with vapes on social media.
These offenders have since removed the content, said the agencies.
In one of the cases, HSA raided the homes of two 18-year-old boys in June after acting on a tip-off about an online video of them vaping in a bicycle shop in Kallang.
HSA visited the bicycle shop on the same day and caught another two men, aged 17 and 29 years old, vaping. All four were fined on the spot.
HSA also worked with e-commerce and social media platforms to remove more than 2,000 online listings of vapes and their components from April to June, a fivefold increase from the 408 listings removed in the previous quarter.
From April to June, HSA prosecuted eight men and four women aged 17 to 46 for selling vapes, with sentences ranging from probation to fines and imprisonment.
Five people are facing charges in court for the importation or sale of Kpods.
One case involved a man who manufactured Kpods in his Yishun flat, intending to sell them.
He was sentenced to 16 months’ jail and a fine of $400 on Aug 26 in Singapore’s first-ever conviction linked to Kpods.
The other four cases, involving men aged 19 to 55 years, are under investigation, said the agencies.
MOH and HSA said: “The authorities maintain a strict stance against travellers attempting to bring prohibited tobacco products into Singapore, with penalties including fines for offenders and possible prosecution for transport companies and drivers involved in importation.
“Foreigners convicted of offences in Singapore will be deported after serving their sentences and barred from re-entering Singapore.”
The latest statistics released on Aug 26 cover the three months of enforcement before The Straits Times launched its anti-vaping campaign, Vaping: The Invisible Crisis, on July 13.
A week later on July 20, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the authorities are working to list etomidate under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
On Aug 24, Mr Ong said etomidate will be classified as a Class C drug under the Act from Sept 1.
Once etomidate is reclassified under the Act, abusers will face harsher penalties, such as a maximum sentence of 10 years’ jail and a $20,000 fine for illegal possession and use.
Those who traffic in Class C drugs can be jailed for up to 10 years and given five strokes of the cane.
Currently, etomidate is listed under the Poisons Act, under which abusers face only a fine.
The public can report vaping offences to the Tobacco Regulation Branch on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, or online at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape
Those who need help to quit vaping can join the Health Promotion Board’s I Quit programme by calling the QuitLine on 1800-438-2000.
The authorities have said those who voluntarily seek support to quit vaping will not face any penalties for doing so. - The Straits Times/ANN
