Ang Boon Hong was sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail on Dec 15 after pleading guilty to one charge of possession of vapes for sale. - Photos: KELVIN CHNG, HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE: Strapped for cash, a Malaysian property agent agreed to deliver vapes in Singapore to earn extra income.
His offence was discovered in August after customs officers caught him behaving suspiciously in Wellington Circle in Sembawang.
Ang Boon Hong, 43, was sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail on Monday (Dec 15) after pleading guilty to one charge of possession of vapes for sale.
Another similar charge was taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that Ang was facing financial difficulties when he was offered a job by a friend known as “Kenny” to deliver e-vaporisers and related components in Singapore.
Ang was promised payment of between RM2 (S$0.60) and RM10 for each successful delivery.
He would have earned about RM100 a day for each day he carried out the deliveries, the court heard.
Ang was instructed to enter Singapore and collect parcels from an HDB flat in Sembawang between 5pm and 6pm, along with a list of the delivery locations for the parcels.
For cash-on-delivery orders, he was to collect the money and pass it to “Kenny” when he returned to Malaysia.
On Aug 28, customs officers saw Ang placing two blue-coloured IKEA bags into a vehicle in Wellington Circle in Sembawang.
After following him for a while, they stopped him in Ang Mo Kio Street 65 at about 5.45pm and found in the bags several white polymailer bags containing e-vaporisers and related components.
Health Sciences Authority (HSA) officers called to the scene seized 115 e-vaporisers and 258 vaporiser components.
Ang was aware the parcels contained e-vaporisers and knew that these items were illegal in Singapore, HSA prosecutor Aditya Naidu said.
In mitigation, Ang asked for leniency as this was his first brush with the law.
“The past few months have been dire because I have been unable to return home, and I have lost my job as a result,” he said.
Since Sept 1, harsher penalties have been introduced for vape-related offences.
Those caught vaping can be fined up to S$700, while subsequent offenders can face prosecution and be fined up to S$2,000.
For selling e-vaporisers, an offender can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
