HSA seizes $200,000 worth of chewing tobacco in Woodlands

An ambush at a storage facility in Woodlands on Feb 19 led the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to its largest seizure of chewing tobacco since the authority was formed in 2001.

The HSA said in a statement yesterday that it seized more than 118,000 sachets of chewing tobacco worth about $200,000 in the operation.

It also arrested a man who was pushing a trolley containing wrapped bundles out of the storage facility. The bundles were later found to contain chewing tobacco.

The HSA did not give any details about the man.

It said preliminary investigations showed the chewing tobacco was meant to be supplied to the Little India and Tuas areas.

It is illegal to import, distribute and sell chewing tobacco in Singapore. This includes purchases made through overseas Internet websites, the authority said.

In another operation on the same day, HSA officers arrested a 48-year-old Singaporean peddler who was selling e-vaporisers and related accessories on messaging platform WeChat.

More than 3,600 e-vaporisers and related accessories worth a total of about $50,000 were later found in his vehicle and home, the authority said.

The man is believed to have bought the e-vaporisers and accessories from overseas and is assisting the HSA in investigations.

E-vaporisers are banned under the same law that prohibits chewing tobacco.

Those found guilty of importing or selling e-vaporisers or chewing tobacco can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000 or both for the first offence. The maximum penalty for subsequent offences is double that for the first offence.