Seized: 150 packets of Ghost Smoke candies in Johor

Some of the seized candies.

JOHOR BARU: State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) seized 150 packets of vape-like "Ghost Smoke" candies during a raid on a premise in Masai here on Wednesday (July 24).

State KPDNHEP director Mohd Hairul Anuar Bohro said that the seizure of the items worth RM37.50 was the first case in the state.

“Our main target is the wholesalers in the state, especially those who sell confectioneries and are located near to school areas.

"We believe retailers have stopped selling this product, since (news about) it went viral on social media.

"We started operations to find these Ghost Smoke candies on July 23 and have, so far, inspected 132 premises across the state,” he said at a press conference at his office on Thursday (July 25).

Mohd Hairul added that initial investigations found the details on the product label to be suspicious.

“The product has a halal logo that is not approved by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), aside from a few other labels that we are still investigating.

"We will continue our crackdown against traders who still sell this brand of candy," he said.

He urged the public to provide information if they know of anyone selling these candies.

The case is investigated under Section 5 of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011.

Mohd Hairul said those caught selling the candies could be fined RM100,000 or jailed up to three years or both for an "individual company", whereas a corporate company could be fined up to RM250,000 or face jail terms up to five years or both.