Jail for man who committed traffic offences while out on bail over plans to steal seized vape items
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Elvin Suriaganandhan was sentenced to six weeks and 10 days’ jail.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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- On March 26, 2024, Elvin Suriaganandhan and Lim Zhi Wei went to a warehouse where vape-related items were stored, but were caught by HSA officers.
- Court documents stated that one Chua Wee Ming had offered Lim $20,000 to steal the items which the HSA had seized earlier.
- Lim was dealt with in court in July while Chua's case is pending.
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SINGAPORE - A man who was out on bail over plans to steal vape-related items seized by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) ran into trouble again when he crashed a car into some railings.
Instead of alerting the authorities, he panicked and ran home, leaving the car behind.
On Aug 25, Elvin Suriaganandhan, 23, was sentenced to six weeks and 10 days’ jail, and disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for a period of a year following his release date.
He had pleaded guilty to charges, including driving a car without due care and attention, and performing an act that could obstruct the course of justice – an offence linked to the vape-related items.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Xavier Tan told the court that some time before March 25, 2024, a Malaysian man identified as Chua Wee Ming, 34, imported vape-related items into Singapore. The goods were subsequently seized by the HSA.
The authority then stored the goods in a warehouse unit as they could be used as evidence in offences involving the items. Information about the property’s location was redacted from court documents.
The unit contained more than 540,000 vape-related items worth over $6.5 million in total, said the DPP.
Court documents stated that on or around March 25, 2024, Chua reached out to Lim Zhi Wei, 40, and asked for the older man’s help to steal the seized goods in exchange for $20,000.
Lim contacted his friend Elvin, and the two Singaporeans went to the warehouse around 3.30pm the next day to conduct surveillance, but they were caught by HSA officers.
Lim and Elvin were charged in court on March 28, 2024
Lim was sentenced to two years, one month and six weeks’ jail and a fine of $2,400 in July.
Shortly after he was out on bail, Elvin drove a car in Tampines at a “relatively high speed” around 6am on April 9, 2024. The speed was not disclosed in court documents.
He then lost control of the vehicle.
It skidded, moved against traffic, cut across three lanes and collided into some railings in Tampines Avenue 10.
The DPP said: “After the collision, the accused panicked and thus ran home, leaving behind the motorcar and the accident scene behind him.”
An eyewitness alerted the police soon after.
Pleading for leniency, defence lawyer Nidesh Muralidharan told the court on Aug 25 that Elvin had been driving within the speed limit before the accident occurred.
The lawyer also said his client had misjudged his ability to control the car.
The public can report vaping offences to the Tobacco Regulation Branch by calling 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, or online at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape
Under current laws, possessing, using or buying vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000.
Anyone who distributes, imports or sells vapes and their components can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
If you need help to quit vaping, you can join the Health Promotion Board’s I Quit programme by calling the QuitLine on 1800-438-2000.
If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at stnewsdesk@sph.com.sg
