Court to assess if teen who advertised vapes for sale on WhatsApp can receive probation
Anyone who distributes, imports or sells vapes and their components can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
SINGAPORE – A teenager advertised she had vapes for sale prompting a raid of her home by the authorities who discovered seven such devices.
On Aug 19, Albee Chai Buo Yin, 19, pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing an imitation tobacco product, and one charge for advertising the sale of vapes on messaging platform WhatsApp.
A probation suitability report has been called for Chai, who will return to court on Sept 30 to be sentenced.
A third charge for the sale of three disposable vapes will be taken into consideration during her sentencing.
The court heard that on Oct 24, 2024, Chai had published an advertisement on WhatsApp, claiming that she had an assortment of e-vaporisers for sale.
On Dec 19, 2024, officers from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) raided Chai's residence in Jurong West after they received information on Chai's suspected using and dealing of e-vaporisers.
During the search, the officers found six disposable vapes, and one vape device fitted with a vape pod. Chai later admitted that the seven devices were all for her personal consumption.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incursion involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024
Singapore Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner
Singapore CPIB nabs 9 suspects for alleged match-fixing in national basketball league
Singapore Live Singapore-raised seafood on sale at 3 Giant supermarkets from Aug 19
Asia Singaporean man sentenced to 72 years' jail in Malaysia for murdering wife and stepson
Singapore 4 days' jail for former pre-school teacher who kicked and bruised pupil's shin
Life Local indie theatre The Projector ceases operations from Aug 19 after a decade
Officers also went through Chai's phone and uncovered messages revealing that she had assisted her friends in purchasing vapes. Investigations show the vapes were purchased in Johor Bahru and delivered in Singapore.
Possessing, using or buying vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000.
Anyone who distributes, imports or sells vapes and their components can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
Those found possessing or using pods containing etomidate – an ingredient classified as a poison and regulated under the Poisons Act – can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $10,000.
On July 20, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that as an interim measure, the Ministry of Home Affairs will soon
list etomidate as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) .
Under the MDA, users can be subjected to supervision and mandatory participation in a rehabilitation programme or committed to drug rehabilitation centres.
Those who need help to quit vaping can join the Health Promotion Board's I Quit programme by calling the QuitLine on 1800-438-2000.
Participants need not worry about being prosecuted, as joining the programme does not presume they use or have used vaping products. But those caught using or possessing such items will be prosecuted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
3 injured, 50 evacuated after early morning fire in Toa Payoh HDB flat
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Preliminary findings indicated that the fire had involved a personal mobility device in the living room. SINGAPORE – Three people were taken to the hospital after a fire broke out in the early hours of the morning on Aug 22 at a Housing Board flat in Toa Payoh. Firefighters were alerted to the fire in a 12th -floor unit at a Block 63 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh at 2.30am , said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a Facebook post. SCDF said it conducted forcible entry into the unit and the fire, which was in a living room, was extinguished with a water jet. During the firefighting operation, firefighters rescued a person from the kitchen. The person was assessed for smoke inhalation and minor burn injuries, and taken conscious to Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Another two people from the neighbouring units were also taken to hospitals - one to SGH for breathlessness and the other to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for an injured ankle. About 50 persons from the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure. Preliminary findings indicated that the fire had involved a personal mobility device (PMD) in the living room, said SCDF. In its post , SCDF reminded the public not to leave batteries or devices charging for prolonged periods or leave the batteries to charge unattended overnight. The public is also advised not to purchase or use non-original batteries.
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
At least 18 die in Colombia in two attacks attributed to FARC dissidents
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Security forces and forensic team members work next to debris following the explosion of a cargo vehicle near an Aerospace Force base, in one of two attacks attributed to FARC dissident groups, that caused multiple casualties, according to authorities, in Cali, Colombia August 21, 2025. REUTERS/Oswaldo Paez BOGOTA - At least 18 people died and more than forty were injured on Thursday after two attacks in Colombia attributed to different dissident factions of the former FARC guerrilla group, authorities reported. In Cali, the country's third most populated city, a cargo vehicle with explosives detonated near a Colombian Aerospace Force base, in an incident that left six people dead and 71 injuries, according to the mayor's office. Hours earlier, a National Police Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter participating in a coca leaf crop eradication operation was shot down in the municipality of Amalfi, in the department of Antioquia, leaving 12 officers dead. Colombian President Gustavo Petro blamed the attacks on dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group that rejected a 2016 peace agreement to end a prolonged internal conflict that has left more than 450,000 dead. REUTERS
CNA
24 minutes ago
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Stock take today: S&P slides, eyes on Jacksonhole
CNA938 Rewind - Sengkang Green Primary bullying case: Death threats – are kids becoming bolder? In an update on the Sengkang Green Primary School bullying case, the Education Ministry released a timeline of events and said the parents of the girl who was bullied no longer want a school transfer. The case involved three students from the school who were suspended over death threats made to the girl and her mother. Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman speak with Dr Cheryl Seah, Developmental Psychologist & Director, Centre for Evidence and Implementation, to find out whether kids are becoming bolder and what is behind this aggression.
