Authorities in Singapore have apprehended more than 17,900 individuals for the possession and use of e-vaporisers (vapes) between January 2024 and March 2025, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) announced in a joint statement. This crackdown also saw the seizure of over S$41 million worth of e-vaporisers and components.
During this period, HSA conducted 50 successful operations against large-scale e-vaporiser syndicates. Sixty individuals, aged 17 to 43, were prosecuted for selling these illicit products. Notably, Ivan Sin Poh Meng and Toh Wee Leong, part of a syndicate involving over S$5 million in vapes, received the highest sentences to date for vape smuggling: 10 months' imprisonment and fines of S$16,000 and S$14,000 respectively. Another key figure in a S$6.5 million case was arrested in October 2024, with investigations ongoing. Additionally, 27 individuals who failed to pay composition fines were prosecuted.
Collaboration with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) led to checks on over 20,800 travelers, resulting in the detection of 91 smuggling cases and the apprehension of 101 individuals with e-vaporisers. HSA also worked with e-commerce and social media platforms to remove over 6,800 listings for vapes and related components, more than double the number removed in 2023.
In educational institutions, 2,600 students were referred to authorities for vaping. Nearly 1,800 youths received smoking and vaping cessation counseling. Starting in July, the Health Promotion Board will launch a year-long virtual cessation counseling pilot with the Ministry of Education for all secondary schools.
