Jail for lorry driver who smuggled 750 e-vaporisers into Singapore from Malaysia
A Malaysian lorry driver has been sentenced to 40 days’ jail for smuggling e-vaporisers into Singapore.
Maran Seger was caught with 750 e-vaporisers and 3,150 related components, valued at around $73,000, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a joint statement on Dec 7.
The items were discovered during a routine check at Tuas Checkpoint on Oct 20 when ICA officers detected anomalies in the scanned images of the lorry Maran was driving, which led to a more thorough search and the subsequent discovery of the items hidden among shampoo product cartons.
Maran, 31, who made deliveries of cosmetic products to Singapore twice a week, had been smuggling the illegal items from August to October.
He would receive a notification from his employer on the delivery details and proceed with the delivery of the items into Singapore.
HSA has issued a stern warning to transport companies and drivers against bringing in unknown items and prohibited tobacco products into the country. Offenders will be detained in Singapore during investigation and, upon conviction, may be barred from entering the country.
Those with information on the illegal import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of e-vaporisers can report to HSA’s Tobacco Regulation Branch. Repeat offenders could face a fine of up to $20,000, a jail term of up to one year, or both.
All prohibited tobacco items will be seized, the authorities added.
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