Man Made Police Report About Break-In His Warehouse; Police Found Vapes Instead

By
Sushmita Kaur
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Singaporean Man Fined $8,500 for Reporting Warehouse Break-In That Unveiled Vape Smuggling Operation

Singapore is known for its strict laws and regulations, a fact that most residents are well aware of, as these laws come with stringent penalties. Therefore, it’s only natural for the majority of Singaporeans to adhere to these rules diligently. If you happen to possess any illegal items, such as vapes, avoiding encounters with the police would likely be high on your priority list.

In an intriguing case, Lim Zhi Wei, a 38-year-old Singaporean man, reported a break-in and claimed that IT gadgets had been stolen from his warehouse.

However, the subsequent investigations conducted by the police unveiled a rather surprising twist: the reported “IT gadgets” turned out to be e-vapourisers and related vaping products.

According to CNA, Lim pleaded guilty to four charges under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act of selling or advertising imitation tobacco products. An additional six charges were considered in sentencing.

As a result, he was fined S$8,500. Should he fail to pay the fine, he faces the prospect of serving 17 days in jail.

Details on the Police Investigation

The court heard that Lim made a report about a break-in and the alleged theft of IT gadgets from a warehouse tunder his supervision. Police investigations led to the revelation that the purported “IT gadgets” were in fact, e-cigarette devices and related components. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) was notified, and Lim was arrested on 13 May 2022.

The police seized a staggering total of 60,050 pods, 172 boxes of vapourisers with pods, 1,601 box sets of vaporisers without pods, 296 pieces of vaporisers without pods, 22 pieces of disposable vaporisers and 27 bags of assorted vaporisers and pods, among other items.

As if that weren’t enough, when HSA searched Lim’s home, they uncovered more e-cigarettes and components, while other prohibited items were also discovered in the rental car that he used.

Lim Gained Earnings between S$2,000 to S$3,000 from Illegal Operations

Lim’s illicit activities had evidently generated substantial earnings. He admitted to packing, selling, and delivering e-cigarettes and related components in Singapore.

He advertised these items via chat conversation and claimed to carry out these prohibited activities to a Malaysian man, allegedly named Jason. Lim also claimed that William, another person he knew, was part of the operation.

Lim earned $10 for every parcel he delivered and $1 for every parcel he packed. He reportedly received about S$2,000 to S$3,000 over the course of two months from packing and delivering these parcels.

Further investigations brought to light that in February 2022, Lim had promoted root beer- flavoured pods to another individual on WhatsApp.

In April 2022, Lim sold 50 boxes of assorted pod flavours at S$9 each on WhatsApp.

Furthermore, he sold 13 boxes containing 39 grape-flavoured pods, for S$300 to another person on WhatsApp. He received the payment through DBS PayLah! and delivered the pods to the respective buyer’s maid at a void deck in Bishan.

A first-time offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both if they were to be caught for selling or offering imitation tobacco product.

As vaping is strictly prohibited in Singapore, anyone found purchasing, using or owning any electronic vapouriser or vape could be subject to fines up to $2,000 per offence.

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Sushmita Kaur
Email: [email protected]