Motorist caught with 20 e-cigarette pods, 6,200 ‘Heetsticks’ gets a week in jail
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On April 10, Singaporean Tan Wei Hao, 29, was ordered to spend a week behind bars after he pleaded guilty to importing the e-cigarette pods.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – A motorist was at the Woodlands Checkpoint when the authorities found 20 e-cigarette pods and 6,200 “Heetsticks” – tobacco products that are heated and not burnt – in his car.
On April 10, Singaporean Tan Wei Hao, 29, was ordered to spend a week behind bars after he pleaded guilty to importing the e-cigarette pods.
A separate charge involving the Heetsticks was considered during his sentencing.
Health Sciences Authority prosecutor Donn Praabu Dennis told the court that Tan drove to Malaysia at around 4am on April 28, 2024, to buy prohibited tobacco products.
He met his supplier, known only as “A”, and bought a “substantial quantity” of Heetsticks for around RM3,000 (S$861, according to court documents).
After completing this transaction, Tan spotted a nearby pop-up stall selling vaporisers and pods.
He then used an undisclosed amount of money to buy 20 e-cigarette pods, and concealed all these items in the spare tyre compartment of his vehicle.
The prosecutor said: “The accused stated that he had purchased the 20 e-cigarette pods from the pop-up stall for his personal consumption and not for any commercial purpose or resale.
“The accused acknowledged that he was aware these items were prohibited in Singapore but proceeded with the purchase (anyway).”
Tan later drove towards Singapore and was at the Woodlands Checkpoint at around 6am when officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority conducted a check on him.
They uncovered the illegal items, and he was later charged in court in 2025.
