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Ministry of Health
Press Releases

2,710 PERSONS CAUGHT FOR E-VAPORISER OFFENCES IN FIRST THREE MONTHS SINCE ENHANCED PENALTIES; EIGHT FAILED TO ATTEND REHABILITATION

18 December 2025

From 1 September to 30 November 2025, authorities caught and fined 2,710 persons for e-vaporiser related offences. 2,453 persons were general e-vaporiser offenders and 257 persons were confirmed to be in possession of e-vaporisers containing etomidate.

2.           Of the 257 etomidate abusers, 70 are ongoing investigations. 162 offenders have been placed on rehabilitation programmes at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Social Service Agencies (SSAs); six are foreigners who have been repatriated or are pending repatriation. 18 are currently imprisoned for offences unrelated to e-vaporisers; one has been issued a conditional warning.

3.           Of the etomidate offenders placed on rehabilitation, 158 have been compliant with their rehabilitation programme. Three defaulters have been charged in court under the Poisons Act, for failure to attend their first rehabilitation appointments. They will face potential jail terms of up to two years. There is a remaining defaulter undergoing investigation.

The cases charged in Court include:

a.     A 23-year-old female, Tang Yu Ling, was charged in Court on 23 October 2025 for etomidate-related offences. Her case will be heard on 6 January 2026.

b.     A 59-year-old male, Sulaiman Bin Mohd Taib, was charged in Court on 3 November 2025 for etomidate-related offences. His case will be heard on 23 December 2025.

c.     A 20-year-old female, Tan Xin Yi, was charged in Court on 6 November 2025 for etomidate-related offences. Her case will be heard on 20 January 2026.

4.           In addition, there were 18 e-vaporiser repeat offenders who have been placed on the rehabilitation programme with the Health Promotion Board (HPB). 14 have been compliant with their rehabilitation programme, with four defaulters undergoing investigations.

5.           There are currently five individuals who have failed to attend their first rehabilitation, following etomidate-related and e-vaporiser offences which are under investigation. If prosecuted, etomidate offenders face a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for up to two years or both, and e-vaporiser offenders face a fine of up to $2,000.

First person admitted to Drug Rehabilitation Centre for etomidate abuse; work permit holder had permit revoked and was repatriated for etomidate abuse offences

6.           A 16-year-old was caught abusing etomidate for the third time and was admitted to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre on 27 November 2025 for treatment and rehabilitation under the Misuse of Drugs Act. He is the first person to be admitted to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre for etomidate abuse.

7.    On 21 October 2025, a 26-year-old male work permit holder from Taiwan was found in possession of an etomidate pod. The Ministry of Manpower has revoked his work permit and he has been repatriated. Foreigners residing in Singapore are reminded to abide by the local laws and regulations or they may have their work passes revoked and be barred from working in Singapore.

Persons charged in Court for alleged trafficking or supply of etomidate e-vaporiser pods

8.           HSA has since charged two more persons in Court for the alleged trafficking of etomidate e-vaporiser pods, bringing the total number of persons charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act to 10 in the past three months. The additional cases charged in Court included:

a.     A 35-year-old male, Wee Rong Hong Marcus, on 20 November 2025. The case has been adjourned to 15 January 2026.

b.     A 23-year-old male, Basil Wang Zhuang Zhen, on 4 December 2025. The case has been adjourned to 14 January 2026.

Persons charged in Court for alleged smuggling of e-vaporisers

9.           46 persons were caught smuggling regular e-vaporisers at the airport, checkpoints or cruise centres in the past three months. Two persons received advisories, five persons received stern warnings, 29 were fined and six were charged in Court. The remaining four persons are under investigation. Overall, more than 26,000 e-vaporisers and related components were seized.

Cases detected through hotline and online reporting

10.        Over the past three months, there were more than 3,200 cases of e-vaporiser activities reported through HSA’s online reporting form and hotlines.

11.        The public also reported online listings, social media posts, and messaging platforms with illegal advertisements and posts. For the past three months, HSA removed more than 830 online e-vaporiser-related listings, offending websites and Telegram groups, and have taken actions against 15 individuals who posted content of themselves vaping or possessing e-vaporisers on social media.

12.        HSA would like to thank the public for their vigilance and encourage the public to continue their valuable contribution to law enforcement by providing comprehensive details when reporting suspected offences.

Rehabilitation process and support to quit

13.        The Government continues to provide support to those who need help and support to quit vaping. In the last three months, 72 persons voluntarily enrolled in the QuitVape programme at IMH and the four participating SSAs to quit etomidate vaping. More than 310 persons have signed up for HPB’s I Quit programme. Members of the public who want to quit vaping can tap on the QuitVape programme (gov.sg/quitvape) or contact HPB's QuitLine at 1800 438 2000.

14.        Those who voluntarily seek help will not face any penalties nor have an offence record for coming forward. However, if the individual is separately caught vaping, relevant penalties will be meted out and there will be an offence record. Support under the QuitVape programme and HPB’s I Quit programme is free for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents.

15.        Members of the public can also voluntarily dispose of e-vaporisers safely at designated e-vaporiser disposal bins placed at selected locations including border checkpoints and where QuitVape programmes and rehabilitation are provided (e.g. HPB, IMH and participating SSAs).

Enhanced penalties since 1 September 2025

16.        Under the enhanced framework that came into force on 1 September 2025, individuals found possessing, using, or purchasing e-vaporisers now face higher penalties and recalcitrant users will be required to undergo rehabilitation. Those who do not complete the rehabilitation programme will be prosecuted. Offenders caught using e-vaporisers for the third time and more will be prosecuted in court under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act 1993 and be liable for a fine of up to $2,000.

17.        Etomidate e-vaporiser offenders face higher penalties and are required to attend rehabilitation for up to 6 months. Second-time offenders will be arrested and subjected to investigation and urine-testing, as well as mandatory supervision for 6 months which includes drug testing, and rehabilitation. Third-time offenders who are 16 years and older will undergo a 12-months regime, including detainment at the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC), followed by drug testing and supervision.

18.        Importers, sellers and distributors of etomidate e-vaporisers will also face much stiffer penalties. This includes 3 to 20 years’ imprisonment and 5 to 15 strokes of the cane for importers, and 2 to 10 years’ imprisonment and 2 to 5 strokes of the cane for sellers and distributors.

19.       Members of the public who have information on the illegal advertisement, import, distribution, sale or possession of e-vaporisers can contact HSA to support our enforcement efforts through two convenient channels:

-        Submit information through our online reporting form: www.go.gov.sg/reportvape (opens in new tab) or scan the QR code:

-        Call the Tobacco Regulation Branch at Tel: 6684 2036 or 6684 2037, operational daily, including weekends and public holidays, from 9am to 9pm.

20.     Vaping is illegal in Singapore. The Government remains committed to enforcing the ban on e-vaporisers while providing support for those seeking to quit vaping. For more information, visit www.gov.sg/stopvaping.

21.        Stepped-up vaping enforcement will continue, even as we enter the festive year-end period. During the holiday season when social gatherings and celebrations may be more frequent, the authorities remain vigilant against e-vaporiser offences. Anyone found vaping or engaging in e-vaporiser related activities will face the full consequences under the law.

 

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY

18 DECEMBER 2025