Tag: SIngapore

  • Singapore Police Seize $3.7 Million in Illegal Vapes

    Singapore Police Seize $3.7 Million in Illegal Vapes

    Credit: Sharaf Maksumov

    More than S$5 million ($3.7 million) worth of vape products were seized during a warehouse raid at Woodlands Industrial Park on Apr 24 in Singapore.

    It is the second-largest seizure of vaping products, coming a month after a record haul in March that was worth more than S$6 million.

    Officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) were conducting an enforcement operation when they found more than 400,000 vaping products and alerted the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), according to an ICA statement.

    Last year, Singapore authorities handled around 8,000 vaping-related offenses, a 43 percent jump from the 5,600 in 2022. A total of 7,600 offenses were recorded in 2021.

    From Jan. 1 to March 31 this year, more than 2,200 people were caught possessing and using vaping products.

  • Vaping on the Rise in Singapore Despite Ban

    Vaping on the Rise in Singapore Despite Ban

    Photo: Kalyakan

    Singaporeans are smoking less but vaping more, reports The Straits Times, citing research by Milieu Insight.

    The average number of cigarettes smoked per week fell from 72 sticks in the third quarter of 2021 to 56 in the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Over the same period, consumption of alternative products like e-cigarettes and vaporizers increased from 3.9 percent to 5.2 percent of the population.

    Milieu Insight attributes the gradual decline in cigarettes smoked per week observed since the second quarter of 2022 in part to an increase in proportion of occasional smokers as compared to regular smokers over this period.

    Conducted from Dec. 16 to Dec. 29, 2023, the survey found that the proportion of occasional smokers had increased by 1.2 percentage points to 3.2 percent, from the third quarter of 2021 to the last quarter of 2023. There was also an increase in the number of former smokers over the same period.

    Vaporizers and e-cigarettes have been outlawed in Singapore. Among the reasons cited for their vaping, respondents said they wanted to reduce secondhand smoke and lessen their consumption of traditional cigarettes. The World Health Organization, however, has rejected the products as a cessation aid.

    In December 2023, Singapore’s Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority announced that they were stepping up enforcement and education efforts against vaping to prevent it from gaining a foothold in Singapore.

  • Singapore to Strengthen Vaping Enforcement

    Singapore to Strengthen Vaping Enforcement

    Photo: 2p2play

    Singapore plans to intensify its crackdown on vaping, reports The Straits Times.

    In a joint statement in December 2023, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Health said enforcement and education efforts would be stepped up to prevent vaping from gaining a foothold in Singapore.

    The city state banned vaping in 2018. Buying, owning or using a vaporizer in Singapore can result in fines of up to SGS2,000 ($1,484.69). First-time offenders who import, distribute, sell or offer for sale vaporizers and their components can be fined up to SGD10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

    Authorities encourage citizens with information on the illegal possession, use, purchase, import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of vaporizers to the Tobacco Regulation Branch.

    Despite the risks, vaping has been steadily gaining ground in Singapore, with consumers buying vapes online and from overseas suppliers. In 2022, 4,916 people were violating Singapore’s vaping ban, compared with 1,266 in 2020 and 4,697 in 2021. In December 2023 alone, authorities reported  1,656 vaping -related cases.

  • Tobacco Tax Not a Factor in Singapore’s Vaping Ban

    Tobacco Tax Not a Factor in Singapore’s Vaping Ban

    Credit: Andreykr

    The Singapore government said that the potential loss in revenue from tobacco tax was not a factor in its decision to ban the use of e-cigarettes in 2018.

    In his reply to a question by a Workers’ Party and Sengkang Member of Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also the Minister for Finance, said, “The Government’s decision to ban the use of e-cigarettes in 2018 was based on public health considerations, to protect our population from the harms of these products. The potential loss in tobacco tax revenue from the reduced consumption of tobacco products was not a factor in this decision.”

    … our priority is to protect the health of our population and prevent e-cigarettes from causing harm to our people, especially to younger Singaporeans.”

     

    Lawrence Wong

    Wong added that if the government were to legalize and tax e-cigarettes “the challenges would be similar to those we encounter for cigarettes and other tobacco products today.

    “In any case, the government has no plans to change our current approach, as our priority is to protect the health of our population and prevent e-cigarettes from causing harm to our people, especially to younger Singaporeans.”

  • Singapore Cracking Down on Illegal Vaping Imports

    Singapore Cracking Down on Illegal Vaping Imports

    A soldier is on duty in Changi Airport (SIN) – Credit: Phuong

    As part of a multi-agency effort to clamp down on vaping, Singapore authorities will step up checks at air, land and sea checkpoints in the coming months, starting with Changi Airport.

    “Incoming passengers may be screened for e-vaporizers and their components at the arrival halls, and those found with e-vaporizers or their components will be fined,” said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in a media release.

    Vaping is illegal in Singapore and offenders can be fined up to S$2,000 ($1,490). Those who import, distribute or sell such products face stiffer penalties, including a possible jail term.

    Passengers carrying vaping devices must pass through the Red Channel (for people with goods to declare) to dispose of the prohibited items. “Travellers who declare and surrender these items at the Red Channel will avoid penalties,” said MOH and HSA, according to reports.

    Additional Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) locations have been set up to flush out vaping violators, and security checks will also be conducted to detect and deter smuggling attempts.

    Apart from the border checkpoints, checks will be stepped up at places such as the central business district, shopping centres, parks, smoking areas, as well as public entertainment outlets such as bars and clubs.

  • Singapore Cracking Down on Travelers With Vapes

    Singapore Cracking Down on Travelers With Vapes

    Image: monticellllo

    Singapore authorities will step up checks at air, land and sea checkpoints to prevent e-cigarettes from entering the city state, reports the South China Morning Post.

    “Incoming passengers may be screened for e-vaporizers and their components at the arrival halls, and those found with e-vaporizers or their components will be fined,” said the Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority in a media release.

    Vaping is illegal in Singapore, and offenders can be fined up to SGD2,000 ($1,490). Those who import, distribute or sell such products face stiffer penalties, including a possible jail term.

    Despite the ban, the number of people caught using and possessing vapes has been rising, including among underage consumers.

    Apart from the border checkpoints, checks will be stepped up at places such as the central business district, shopping centers, parks and smoking areas as well as public entertainment outlets such as bars and clubs.

    Since Dec. 1, enforcement officers from the National Environment Agency have been empowered to take action against people who use or own vapes.

    Singapore authorities said that their multi-agency approach is aimed at protecting its population.

    The World Health Organization said last week that urgent action is needed to control e-cigarettes to protect children and nonsmokers.

  • Singapore Officials Seize More Than 85,000 Vaping Products

    Singapore Officials Seize More Than 85,000 Vaping Products

    Credit: Sharaf Maksumov

    Authorities in Singapore seized more than 85,000 vaping products in a warehouse raid conducted by Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

    This is the largest seizure of e-cigarettes and other vaping products by HSA, surpassing a haul in 2021 where more than S$2.2 million ($3 million) worth of products were confiscated, said HSA and the Singapore police in a joint press release today. The latest seizure has an estimated value of more than $5 million.

    The raid was the result of HSA following up on leads from investigating a group of people suspected of selling illegal vaping products, according to Channel News Asia.

    On Mar 28, six individuals were detained by the police at a multi-story car park at Block 592 Montreal Link.

    “The driver of a van was allegedly found to be distributing parcels containing e-vaporizers to five persons purportedly assisting in the delivery to buyers,” said the authorities.

    Under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, it is an offense to import, sell or distribute vape products.

    Those found guilty for the first time can be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

    Subsequent offenses double the penalties to a fine of up to S$20,000, a jail term of up to a year, or both.

    Vaping is illegal in Singapore. The purchase, use and possession of all vaping products are also prohibited.

  • Luxury Cars Used to Smuggle Vapes Into Singapore

    Luxury Cars Used to Smuggle Vapes Into Singapore

    Credit: Andreykr

    Criminals in Singapore are not using just trucks and trailers to smuggle vaping products. They are also using luxury cars in an attempt to evade detection and capture.

    Based on seizures and captures carried out by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) enforcement, many different types of luxury vehicles are being used for smuggling activities, namely Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and high-end Toyota Vellfire and Alphard MPVs (Multi Purpose Vehicles), according to media reports.

    “Perhaps these syndicates feel that the ‘status’ of being perceived as being rich by driving luxury vehicles can evade detection by enforcement. This is why the syndicates choose all sorts of different luxury vehicles to carry out smuggling of e-cigarettes and vape liquid,” according to an unnamed source.

    The ICA’s employs hi-tech X-Ray machines to detect smuggled items. Based on information received, the Singapore enforcement authorities recently confiscated 792 e-cigarettes that were smuggled from Malaysia using an Audi vehicle.

    Also confiscated were 3,093 e-cigarette refill pods, apart from 4,000 e-cigarettes and 3,120 e-cigarette refill pods that were hidden in another luxury vehicle, a Mercedes Benz.

    “On Nov 23 last year, the syndicate used an Audi vehicle to smuggle 2,700 pods filled with e-cigarette refills apart from 100 disposable e-cigarettes. The seizure also yielded 145 e-cigarette products that were concealed under the seats and floor of a Toyota Vellfire MPV,” the source said.

  • Singapore Seizes Nearly $1 Million in Illegal Vapes

    Singapore Seizes Nearly $1 Million in Illegal Vapes

    Singapore authorities destroyed an some 6,500 seized vape products with an estimated value of more than SGD1 million ($726,639) on May 31, reports Channel News Asia.

    Among the seized items incinerated on World No Tobacco Day were 6,500 e-vaporizers, 83,500 pods and 8,000 e-liquids. Together, they weighed more than a ton.

    In Singapore, it is an offence to sell, possess for sale, import or distribute e-vaporizers and related components. Violators risk fines of up to SGD10,000 and jail up to six months.

    Credit: Sharaf Maksumov

     

    The penalty for possessing and using a vape is a fine of up to SGC2,000.

    Between 2017 and 2021, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) caught 383 illegal e-vaporizer sellers. HSA, which works with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to enforce against vaping, noted that some illegal importers have started to change tactics to avoid detection, by concealing products in lighting fixtures, for example.

     

    The agency says it has stepped up vigilance and enforcement actions.

    Last year, authorities destroyed almost 12,300 e-vaporizers, about 4,500 e-liquids and nearly 175,000 pods and components, with an estimated street value of almost SGD2 million.

  • Singapore Seizes $2 Million in Illegal Vape Pens

    Singapore Seizes $2 Million in Illegal Vape Pens

    More than $2 million worth of vaporizers, components, e-liquids and other illegal tobacco products have been seized in Singapore. Authorities are calling the discovery the “largest haul” in the city-state to date.

    Credit: Richie Chan

    Acting on a tip-off, officers from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) inspected an industrial storage facility located north, towards the border with Malaysia. They discovered 10,057 vapes, 48,822 vaporizer components, and large quantities of vape juice, according to a press release.

    “This is the largest seizure haul of tobacco products by HSA, in terms of the volume and street value of e-vaporizers,” officials said in a statement, adding that the products had an estimated street value of $2,260,825. No arrests have been made but HSA said that three people were currently “assisting in investigations.” The authority also revealed that more than 170 vape raids were carried out between 2018 and 2020.