SINGAPORE - More than 1,000 items related to electronic cigarettes were seized by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) last Thursday (Oct 10).
ICA said that its officers at Air Cargo Command seized 35 e-cigarettes and 1,078 e-cigarette pods. Such pods are typically used to hold vaping liquid.
The street value of the seized items is about $14,280, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
The officers made the move after they saw anomalies in the scanned images of parcels the items were packaged in.
The parcels' contents were declared as masks, ICA said in a Facebook post on Monday.
The case was referred to HSA for further investigation.
"This method of concealment is a cause for concern as similar methods may be used by people with ill intent to smuggle items into Singapore," ICA said.
E-vaporisers, which include e-cigarettes and e-cigars, are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid which contains nicotine to produce a vapour that is then inhaled.
Last month, a 35-year-old man who had sold e-vaporisers was fined $99,000 - the highest amount ever.
Anyone found guilty of selling, importing or distributing e-vaporisers can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
Repeat offenders can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to one year, or both.
Since Feb 1, 2018, it has also been illegal to possess, purchase or use e-vaporisers. Offenders can be fined up to $2,000.
