18 people convicted, fined over $150k for selling e-vaporisers
Eighteen people were convicted between April and August for selling electronic vaporisers and related components, with total fines levied against them amounting to $153,000.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Friday the individuals were aged between 23 and 40, and had conducted their sales through social media and e-commerce platforms.
One of them – Pan Shuowei - was dealt the longest jail term to date for selling the contraband items, after being sentenced to 19 weeks’ imprisonment.
The 29-year-old was caught at a warehouse after the HSA received a tip-off.
The unemployed man was there to collect a parcel containing more than 1,000 boxes of assorted pods shipped from abroad.
These pods, which typically come in different flavours, are attached to e-vaporisers when in use and can be switched out when the liquid they contain runs out.
Most carry about 2ml of vaping liquid, composed of nicotine and additive chemicals.
HSA said that Pan had ordered the items from his friend and other suppliers in China, before advertising on WeChat through multiple accounts.
His buyers would then make purchases from him using WeChat Pay.
In a separate case, Chuah Siang Chun, 31, was caught selling e-vaporisers on Instagram.
He had kept a sales record book to keep track of his transactions, and over the course of four months made a profit of about $3,000 after completing about 30 sales.
The senior customer service officer at a transport company was ultimately fined $34,000.
Meanwhile, Gautaman Senivasan, 32, was fined $20,500 for selling heat-not-burn tobacco products on Facebook.
The full-time student was first introduced to such products during a holiday in Switzerland, and began importing them for sale here after realising they were available in Malaysia.
Stressing that the import, distribution, sale and possession for sale of e-vaporisers and their related components is illegal, HSA said first-time offenders could be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
A subsequent offence could lead to either a fine of up to $20,000, jail time of up to 12 months, or both.
Those who are caught using, purchasing, or possessing an e-vaporiser and its related components face a fine of up to $2,000 per offence.
“HSA conducts active online surveillance and will continue to take strong enforcement actions against those selling e-vaporisers and related components.
“We also work closely with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to monitor and stop illegal imports of e-vaporisers and related components,” HSA said.
From 2018 to 2022, HSA prosecuted 101 people for selling e-vaporisers and their related components.
The highest fine so far stands at $99,000, with the dubious distinction held by 39-year-old Chong Weisheng, who had sold the illegal items through a website.
To avoid detection, he made changes to the site’s domain name, and eventually required customers to key in a password to gain access.
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