11,000 heat sticks & a vape found in car at Woodlands Checkpoint, driver declared 1 cigarette packet

Heat sticks & vape found under seats of S’pore-registered rental car

A 37-year-old Singaporean man was arrested when 11,000 heat sticks and one e-vaporiser, or vape, was found in a Singapore-registered car at Woodlands Checkpoint.

The driver had declared only one packet of cigarettes, said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a Facebook post on Thursday (28 May).

Rental car directed for enhanced checks during joint operation

On 9 May, the rental car was attempting to enter Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint, ICA said.

ICA Search and Examination officers and the police’s K-9 unit were conducting a joint enforcement operation at the time.

The vehicle was thus directed to undergo enhanced checks by ICA.

Before the check, the driver had declared only one packet of cigarettes, ICA said.

Numerous heat sticks found under car seats & centre console

Despite this, numerous heat sticks and a vape were uncovered under the passenger seats of the vehicle.

More were found inside the centre console.

Heat sticks, also known as heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products, are battery-operated devices that heat tobacco so it produces an aerosol containing nicotine and other chemicals that can be inhaled through the mouth and taken into the body.

Similar to vapes and nicotine pouches, the importation, distribution, sale, purchase, use and possession of HNB tobacco products are prohibited under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisement and Sale) Act, according to the Ministry of Health.

S’porean driver arrested

The car driver, a 37-year-old Singaporean man, was arrested in connection with the alleged attempt to smuggle heat sticks and a vape into Singapore.

The case has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation.

If convicted of importing vapes, offenders face up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to S$10,000.

Repeat offenders may be jailed for up to 12 months and/or fined up to S$20,000.

ICA had previously said that border security is “a crucial aspect” of Singapore’s anti-vape enforcement strategy, adding:

As guardians of our borders, ICA is committed to facilitating trade & travel while keeping Singapore’s borders safe & secure.

Also read: 2 vapes & 210 pods labelled as laundry detergent found in car entering S’pore at Woodlands Checkpoint

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Featured image adapted from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook.