2 weeks’ jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore
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James Wong Jun Jie was sentenced after he admitted to one charge under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Follow topic:
- A Singaporean man, James Wong Jun Jie, was jailed for two weeks for smuggling vapes from Johor Bahru into Singapore in September 2024.
- Wong was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint with over 1,800 vapes and pods hidden in his car, and more were found at his home.
- Judge Wong Li Tein deemed community-based sentences unsuitable due to the seriousness of vaping in Singapore.
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SINGAPORE – A Singaporean man tried to cross Woodlands Checkpoint from Johor Bahru in September 2024 with over 1,800 electronic vaporisers and pods hidden in his car boot and bonnet.
But the authorities discovered the loot and foiled his plan.
Officers from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) then raided his flat and found more vapes and pods from a previous smuggling attempt, which had gone undetected.
On July 16, James Wong Jun Jie, 36, was sentenced to two weeks’ jail after he admitted to one charge under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.
Three similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
The court heard that Wong met a man named Raj in 2024 at Mid Valley Southkey, a shopping mall in Johor Bahru.
Raj asked Wong if he was interested in smuggling vapes and pods from Johor to Singapore, adding that he could earn RM600 (S$181) for a one-way trip.
Wong gave it a try on Sept 10, 2024, and brought the illicit items into Singapore without being detected.
Two days later, on Sept 12, Wong made his second attempt. He drove to Johor Bahru at about 8am, parked his car at Mydin Mall and left to have breakfast.
He deliberately left his car unlocked so Raj’s workers could load the illegal goods in the boot and bonnet.
At about 11am, Wong drove back to Singapore and was asked to stop his vehicle at Woodlands Checkpoint.
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers discovered 1,086 pods and 732 vapes hidden in his car, and handed the items to HSA for investigations.
That night, HSA officers searched Wong’s home at a Housing Board block in Sin Ming Road. They found another 1,320 pods and 679 vapes.
These were stocks from his first smuggling trip. Wong said he was waiting for Raj to inform him when to deliver them.
They had agreed that Wong would drive to an open carpark in Woodlands, leave his vehicle unlocked and return two hours later after the goods had been unloaded.
District Judge Wong Li Tein said in response to Wong’s mitigation letter, which was not read out in court, that community-based sentences were not appropriate for him.
Such sentences, which include a community work order or short detention order, do not result in a criminal record.
Judge Wong said: “The problem of vaping in Singapore is a serious one. So community-based sentences are not suitable.”
Wong’s case comes on the back of increased enforcement efforts to tackle a looming vape crisis in Singapore.
HSA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint statement in May that close to 18,000 people were caught
During that time, HSA seized $41 million worth of vapes – nearly fivefold the reported value seized from 2019 to end-2023, according to numbers compiled by The Straits Times.
HSA said in the May statement that it prosecuted 27 offenders for failing to pay their composition fines. It took another 60 people to court for selling e-vaporisers, including two people linked to an e-vaporiser syndicate case that involved more than $5 million worth of the devices.
Ivan Sin was fined $16,000 and given 10 months’ jail, while Toh Wee Leong was fined $14,000 and given the same jail term
ST launched its anti-vaping campaign, Vaping: The Invisible Crisis
On July 12, MOH and the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a joint statement that they were looking at tightening the laws around vaping
Both ministries described vaping as a serious issue, noting that etomidate, which is classified as a poison and regulated under the Poisons Act, may cause adverse effects like seizures and psychosis.
Used in hospitals to induce sedation during medical procedures, etomidate is meant to be injected into the veins under clinical supervision and never intended to be inhaled.
When vaped, it enters the lungs directly and may trigger spasms, breathing difficulties, seizures and even psychosis.
