Nearly 30,000 vape goods were confiscated at the Tuas Checkpoint after being discovered concealed within a consignment of frozen chicken nuggets.
On November 17, at 3 a.m., authorities from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) halted a Malaysian-registered truck entering Singapore.
Officers discovered boxes wrapped in black garbage bags beneath the truck's floorboard and in the driver's resting area.
The packages were discovered to include 2,600 disposable e-vaporizers and 27,006 refill pods. The materials were subsequently confiscated by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
A video of the seizure at the checkpoint, released Thursday on the ICA's Facebook page with the headline "Winner, winner, chicken dinner," depicts police ripping open the boxes and lining out the vape goods to count them.
In recent years, the HSA has confiscated more e-vaporizers, with official numbers indicating a surge from 1,565 vape goods in 2017 to 7,593 in 2021.
The greatest haul here consisted of around 60,000 vaping goods. They were captured in October 2021 during an operation.
The Straits Times earlier stated that with the reopening of land borders in April 2022, vape stores in Johor Bahru became popular with Singaporean tourists.
The authorities in Singapore have frequently warned that anybody caught using, purchasing, or having such substances is subject to a $2,000 fine.
Those who sell, possess for sale, import, or distribute such products face severe penalties.
For repeat offenders, the maximum term is raised from $10,000 to $20,000 and six months to one year in prison.
Those who have knowledge on the unlawful import, distribution, sale, or offer for sale of e-vaporisers can file a report online with the HSA.
They can also call the HSA's Tobacco Regulation Branch between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays by dialing 6684-2036 or 6684-2037.
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