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HSA raid nets record S$50,000 worth of vaporiser products

SINGAPORE — About S$50,000 worth of vaporisers — products such as e-cigarettes and e-pipes — were seized by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) last Friday (Nov 25).

A general view of an estimated S$50,000 worth of vaporisers that were seized by the Health Sciences Authority’s (HSA) Tobacco Regulation Branch in Singapore, Nov 25, 2016. Photo: HSA

A general view of an estimated S$50,000 worth of vaporisers that were seized by the Health Sciences Authority’s (HSA) Tobacco Regulation Branch in Singapore, Nov 25, 2016. Photo: HSA

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SINGAPORE — About S$50,000 worth of vaporisers — products such as e-cigarettes and e-pipes — were seized by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) last Friday (Nov 25). 

The raid, conducted at two locations within the vicinity of Serangoon North, is the HSA’s largest haul of vaporisers so far, in terms of the total value of the seized goods and the scale of the peddler’s business, the authority said in a press release on Wednesday (Nov 30).

The suspect, a 30-year-old Singaporean man, had sold S$30,000 worth of vaporisers and vaporiser accessories on seven online platforms, according to transaction records that HSA officers had retrieved. He stored the illegal goods at his house and a nearby storage facility, both of which were raided. 

He had been identified through online surveillance and investigation and is currently assisting in the investigation.

The HSA said that from 2011 to date, it has prosecuted 13 people for selling such products, with the heftiest punishment meted so far at S$64,500 for the illegal sale of vaporisers.

The Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act prohibits the import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of any article that is designed to resemble a tobacco product, capable of being smoked, and may be used in such a way as to mimic the act of smoking. This includes vaporisers such as e-cigarettes, e-pipes, e-cigars and the like.

The penalties for such an offence is a fine of up to S$10,000, or jail of up to six months for the first offence, or both. The penalties are doubled for the second or subsequent offence.

“Despite claims by manufacturers, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of vaporisers in helping smokers quit tobacco use,” said the HSA, adding that such products “are likely to lead to nicotine addiction among users, and may also encourage experimentation with other forms of tobacco, in turn leading to chronic diseases and premature death”.

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