Ten tobacco retailers caught selling cigarettes to minors have had their tobacco retail licences suspended, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in a release yesterday.
The retailers - mostly neighbourhood minimarts and convenience stores - did not ask for any identification to check the buyers' age, claiming that they were busy, or that the buyers looked older than 18.
They were subsequently caught through HSA's ground surveillance and enforcement activities, and had their licences suspended for six months.
"Sellers take the risk of contravening the laws if they assess age by mere physical appearance of the buyer," said HSA in the release.
For selling tobacco products to minors under 18, the retailers could have been fined up to $5,000 for the first offence and have had their licence suspended for six months.
However, retailers caught selling cigarettes to minors in school uniform or those below 12 years of age will have their licence revoked, even for the first offence.
The errant retailers are listed below:
• Hao Mart at 505 Canberra Link
• Hao Mart at 323 Tah Ching Road
• M. R. Pasir Ris Minimart at 230 Pasir Ris Street 21
• NYK Minimart at 365B Upper Serangoon Road
• Noor Supermart at 468 Hougang Avenue 8
• Rasul MiniMart at 108 Bedok Reservoir Road
• Sai Mart at 144 Teck Whye Lane
• MCP Fairmart at 135 Jurong Gateway Road
• Chennai Store Pte Ltd at 456 Jurong West Street 41
• Luck Seng Coffee Stall at 115 Bukit Merah View
Ilyda Chua
