The vapes were found in the car's modified dashboard. - Photo: Screengrabs from ICA/Facebook
SINGAPORE: A 41-year-old female driver and her 43-year-old male passenger have been arrested for their suspected involvement in attempting to smuggle vapes into Singapore.
This comes after 398 vapes were found in a Malaysia-registered car they were in on Sept 25, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sept 30).
ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint directed the vehicle for enhanced checks, and the vapes were found to be concealed in the car’s modified dashboard, it said.
The case has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation, it added.
Those convicted of importing, distributing, selling or offering vapes and their accessories may be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both, on the first offence.
An offender may be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to a year, or both, on subsequent convictions.
After stricter measures to clamp down on vaping came into effect on Sept 1, up to 15 strokes of the cane and a maximum of 20 years’ jail can be meted out to suppliers of Kpods, or e-vaporisers filled with etomidate.
First-time offenders aged 18 and above will be fined $700. Second-time offenders will need to undergo rehabilitation, and failure to do so will result in prosecution.
Those caught using vapes for the third time and more may be fined up to $2,000. - The Straits Times/ANN
