Two weeks' jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore

A Singaporean man tried to cross Woodlands Checkpoint from Johor Bahru in September 2024 with over 1,800 electronic vaporisers and pods hidden in his car boot and bonnet.

- Christine Tan

But the authorities discovered the loot and foiled his plan.

Officers from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) then raided his flat and found more vapes and pods from a previous smuggling attempt, which had gone undetected.

On July 16, James Wong Jun Jie, 36, was sentenced to two weeks' jail after he admitted to one charge under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.

Three similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

The court heard that Wong met a man named Raj in 2024 at Mid Valley Southkey, a shopping mall in Johor Bahru.

Raj asked Wong if he was interested in smuggling vapes and pods from Johor to Singapore, adding that he could earn RM600 (S$181) for a one-way trip.

Wong gave it a try on Sept 10, 2024, and brought the illicit items into Singapore without being detected.

Two days later, on Sept 12, Wong made his second attempt. He drove to Johor Bahru at about 8am, parked his car at Mydin Mall and left to have breakfast.

He deliberately left his car unlocked so Raj's workers could load the illegal goods in the boot and bonnet.

At about Ilam, Wong drove back to Singapore and was asked to stop his vehicle at Woodlands Checkpoint.