SINGAPORE: A man who was part of a syndicate that operated two “warehouses” containing nearly 58,000 vape products has become the first person in the group to admit his involvement with it.
Nearly 17,000 of the products were vaporisers. One of the rented “warehouses” was a terrace house in Lentor, and the other was a condominium unit in the Canberra area in Sembawang.
The court heard that the group delivered up to 210 orders of vaporisers and components daily.
On Thursday (Aug 6), Roy Tan Jun Jie, 34, who was an “area distributor” and occupied the lowest rung of the three-tiered syndicate, pleaded guilty to being one of its members – an offence under the Organised Crime Act.
Tan, who earned around S$45,000 in total, also pleaded guilty to one count of being in possession of 31 vaporisers meant for sale.
Deputy public prosecutors Matthew Choo, Nicole Teo and Timothy Ong said there were 13 other people in the group.
The DPPs added that Wong Ee Wei, 29, Tey Ler Wei, 30, and Kenneth Tan Hong Chang, 31, were local syndicate leaders.
They took instructions from a person known only as “Nobody”, purportedly based in Malaysia.
Among other things, the local syndicate leaders managed the “warehouses” and the group’s finances.
They also coordinated the deliveries of vape products from Malaysia as arranged by Nobody.
According to the prosecution, four other members – Ng Tai Lun, 27, Teo Jin Rui, 29, Tiffany Lim Hui Ping, 29, and Adrian Chia Hong Qing, 33 – worked as “local distributors”.
They each earned between $4,000 and $8,000 monthly.
Their duties included meeting with the “area distributors” like Roy Tan to hand them the orders for the day and collect earnings, said the DPPs.
Court documents stated that the other area distributors were: Cheong Tian Lin, 26, Tan Boon Hao, 30, Nigel Khing Yao Zhi, 28, Feelix Teo Wang Chye, 30, Tan Yi Tan, 36, and Iu Bing Yuan, 38.
The DPPs said each area distributor was assigned a specific area to make their deliveries and receive payments.
Each area distributor delivered between 15 and 30 orders per day, earning $10 for every successful delivery.
The prosecutors added that as a whole, the organised crime group distributed vaporisers from mid-2022 to October 2025, and operated both “warehouses”.
Lim had rented the Canberra condominium, and she occupied it with her husband, Kenneth Tan, said the DPPs.
The prosecutors also told the court the Lentor house was rented by Teo Jin Rui.
The crime group operated various chat groups on messaging platforms WhatsApp and Telegram, using pseudonyms for anonymity.
In October 2024, an unnamed friend introduced Roy Tan to a delivery job.
The latter was then introduced to Chia, who briefed him on his roles and responsibilities as an area distributor, said the DPPs.
Roy Tan used his car to make the deliveries.
Court documents did not disclose how his offences came to light. But on Oct 16, 2025, the authorities seized nearly 20,000 of the items in the Lentor house, while more than 38,000 were uncovered in the Canberra property.
Roy Tan was also arrested that day.
Stressing that he had been motivated by profit, the DPPs urged the court on Aug 6 to sentence him to up to 11 months in jail and a fine of $45,000 to disgorge his wrongful gains.
They added: “Vaporisers pose a serious health risk to the public, with users exposed to nicotine poisoning, pulmonary and cardiovascular issues.
“A deterrent sentence is wholly warranted... to send a strong message (to) like-minded members of the public who may be enticed by the profitability of the vaporiser trade.”
Roy Tan is represented by lawyers Sherman Ho and Leong Kit Weng, who said their client could not pay a fine. His bail has been set at $15,000, and he is expected to be sentenced on Aug 19. - The Straits Times/ANN
