Singapore Health Authority Cracks down on Illegal E-cigarette Smuggling
According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao on April 9, the Singapore Health Sciences Authority discovered over 81,000 various types of e-cigarettes and accessories in the Woodlands Industrial Estate. The black market value is estimated to be over 1.1 million Singapore dollars (818,114 US dollars). Five individuals (aged 19 to 39) are currently assisting with the investigation by the Health Sciences Authority.
In recent years, the problem of e-cigarette abuse in Singapore has become increasingly serious. Despite the government's ban on such products, the number of people arrested last year for possession or use of e-cigarettes increased by 60% compared to the previous year. The Health Sciences Authority has conducted several large-scale raids throughout the country in the first quarter of this year, successfully seizing e-cigarettes and accessories worth over $7 million Singapore dollars ($5.2 million USD).
On January 17th, the police arrested two black market e-cigarette vendors. Subsequently, following leads, the police discovered that all their goods actually originated from a warehouse located in Ulu Tiram.
According to The Straits Times, on January 20, the media personally visited a warehouse that had been sealed by the police for storing e-cigarettes. The warehouse is located in a high-rise building in the industrial area of Woodlands Close. It wasn't until April 9 (Tuesday) that the Health Sciences Authority further disclosed more information about this warehouse.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to finding a large number of unopened e-cigarette products in the warehouse, a large quantity of e-cigarette accessories were also stored there.
Additionally, in the six-month period from October of last year to March of this year, 34 individuals have been convicted for illegal sale of e-cigarettes. Among them, a 22-year-old man was sentenced to 10 months in prison and fined 16,000 yuan for selling e-cigarettes and their accessories, the longest sentence handed down in such cases.
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