Vaping crackdown nabs almost 4,000; a quarter are students

Nearly 4,000 people in Singapore were caught and fined for possessing or using e-vaporisers over the span of three months earlier this year, said the health authorities on Oct 23.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said the figure of 3,840 recorded between July 1 and Sept 30 was a 52 per cent increase from the previous quarter.

There were 743 cases of students caught vaping by schools and institutes of higher learning (IHLs), 591 cases caught during community enforcement patrols, 44 cases found through enforcement operations in the vicinity of IHLs, and 16 cases detected at checkpoints.

In their statement, MOH and HSA said they are working with the Health Promotion Board and Ministry of Education to ramp up efforts to tackle the problem of vaping. The agencies are also working with Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), National Environment Agency and National Parks Board to carry out enforcement operations on several fronts, including at the checkpoints, online platforms and in the community, schools and IHLs.

HSA said it has been actively monitoring online content to identify those who vape in public, and use or pose with vapes in photographs or videos.

In July and August, it fined five offenders - four men and a woman, aged between 13 and 34 - who posted content of themselves with vapes on their Instagram and TikTok accounts.

The posts have since been removed, said the authorities.

A 49-year-old man’s Tampines home was raided in September after a video of him vaping in an MRT cabin made the rounds on social media.

HSA found an e-vaporiser and other drug paraphernalia in his home. In addition, he was also wanted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and is currently assisting HSA and CNB in investigations.

Online commerce platforms have also not escaped scrutiny.

More than 1,900 listings of vapes and their components have been removed from local e-commerce and social media platforms, more than triple the number compared to the same period in 2023.

A total of 253 people were caught through targeted operations at major, high-profile events.

The Formula One race weekend in September saw about 200 individuals fined by HSA while more than 50 who attended an outdoor music event at Sentosa in August were similarly punished.

The bid to stamp out vaping also extended to the borders, with HSA and ICA conducting several joint operations at the air, land and sea checkpoints. More than 4,000 travellers were checked and 16 were caught with vapes.

A 32-year-old Malaysian man driving a Malaysia-registered lorry was also caught attempting to smuggle vapes at Tuas Checkpoint on July 17. He was found to have more than 20,000 vapes and components with a street value of more than $300,000 in his possession.

He was detained and handed over to HSA for further investigations. While under investigation, he tried to flee Singapore but was caught by ICA two days later.

He was later sentenced to 28 weeks’ jail on Aug 28.

The crackdown on vape suppliers over the past few months has also included in-person distribution rings.

On July 7, HSA officers conducted an operation at Paya Lebar involving foreign domestic workers. They intercepted 10 people - eight of whom were buyers, as well as two female sellers - before any transaction took place.

Eight vapes and assorted components, as well as illegal medicines intended for sale were also seized.

In a separate incident on Aug 21, HSA seized over 2,000 vapes and components with a street value of over $39,000 in Tampines. Eight people aged 26 to 35 were caught distributing the vapes in their vehicles at an open-air carpark.

All offenders in both incidents are currently assisting in investigations.

The possession, use or purchase of vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000. Those caught importing, distributing, selling or offering vapes for sale and their components can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed up to six months, or both, for the first offence.

Subsequent offences can result in a fine of up to $20,000, or a jail term of up to a year, or both. All prohibited tobacco items will be seized and confiscated.

There were 21 people aged between 14 and 48 years old that were convicted from July 1 to Sept 30 for selling vapes and related components in Singapore.

The total fines amounted to more than $150,000, with one offender being fined $39,000 and another jailed for 15 months and fined $10,000.

Members of the public who have information on the illegal possession, use, purchase, import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of vapes can contact HSA’s Tobacco Regulation Branch at 6684 2036 or 6684 2037.