SINGAPORE: Two men were charged in court on Thursday (Aug 28) with importing electronic vaporiser-related items at Woodlands Checkpoint in separate cases.
This comes days after stepped-up checks by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at Singapore’s checkpoints to detect vape smuggling.
Mahendran K V K Samy, a 31-year-old Indian national, was charged with importing e-cigarette cartridges in a Malaysia-registered bus at Woodlands Checkpoint on Jul 8.
Seow Chin Poh, a 49-year-old Singaporean, was charged with importing 34 vapes at Woodlands Checkpoint on Jun 19.
The charges were under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, punishable with a maximum jail term of six months, a fine of up to S$10,000 (US$7,776), or both.
Seow indicated that he would plead guilty.
Both cases were adjourned for pre-trial conferences at a later date.
ICA said last Saturday that more than 850 vapes and related components were surrendered to its officers over five days of stepped-up checks by the agency.
Singapore has been ramping up enforcement efforts against vapes, including stepped-up targeting and profiling at air, land and sea checkpoints. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also said in his National Day Rally speech that Singapore will step up enforcement and treat vaping as a “drug issue”, with stiffer penalties.
Currently, the maximum penalty for buying, possessing or using vapes is only a fine of S$2,000 under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.
If the vapes or vaporiser components are meant for sale, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000 or both, with double the penalties for repeat offenders.
Those who possess or use pods with etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000, or both under the Poisons Act.
From Sep 1, fast-acting anaesthetic etomidate will be listed as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The substance, currently listed as a poison under the Poisons Act, is not meant for inhalation but has been detected in vape pods known as Kpods.
Negative side effects of inhaling etomidate include psychiatric symptoms, hypertension, deep sedation and altered consciousness.
On Tuesday, the courts gave its first sentence for a case involving Kpods – a local manufacturer was given 16 months’ jail.
A judge recently asked Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prosecutors to review sentencing for all vape cases, and not just Kpod cases.
In one specific case involving more than 1,600 vapes for sale, the prosecution said they would relook it and possibly seek stiffer penalties.
