MORE THAN 1,900 PERSONS CAUGHT FOR E-VAPORISER OFFENCES IN FIRST NINE WEEKS SINCE ENHANCED PENALTIES

           From 1 September to 2 November 2025, authorities caught 1,929 persons for e-vaporiser related offences. Of these cases, 167 persons were confirmed to be in possession of e-vaporisers containing etomidate.

2.         Of the 167 etomidate abusers, 108 offenders have been placed on rehabilitation programmes at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Social Services Agencies (SSA). 33 of them are pending further investigations or interviews and 6 are pending to be placed on the programme. The remaining 20 will not be placed on the programme, as 6 of them are foreigners pending repatriation and 14 imprisoned for offences unrelated to e-vaporisers. Of those placed on rehabilitation, 105 have been compliant with their rehabilitation programme, while three etomidate abusers failed to attend their first rehabilitation appointments.  

3.         In addition, there are 13 e-vaporiser re-offenders who have been placed on the rehabilitation programme with the Health Promotion Board (HPB). 11 have been compliant with their rehabilitation programme, while two have failed to attend their first appointments.

4.         Abusers who fail to report for interviews and rehabilitation will be liable for prosecution. HSA has prosecuted four individuals under the Poisons Act or Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act for their etomidate-related and e-vaporiser offences respectively, as they had failed to attend or complete their rehabilitation appointments. These four cases are:

a.      A 23-year-old female, Tang Yu Ling, was charged in Court on 23 October 2025 for etomidate-related offences. Her case has been adjourned to 18 November 2025.

b.      A 59-year-old male, Sulaiman Bin Mohd Taib, was charged in Court on 3 November 2025 for etomidate-related offences. His case has been adjourned to 19 November 2025.

c.     A 20-year-old female, Tan Xin Yi, has been charged in Court on 6 November 2025 for etomidate-related offences. Her case has been adjourned to 3 December 2025.

d.     A 27-year-old male will be charged in Court on 11 November 2025 for e-vaporiser-related offences.

At the same time, another case of a 23-year-old male is currently under investigations for e-vaporiser-related offences.

The maximum penalty is a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to two years for etomidate offenders, and a fine of up to $2,000 for e-vaporiser offenders.

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

5.         HSA has since charged three 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 eight in the past nine weeks. The additional cases charged in court included:

a.    An 18-year-old male, Kwek Rui An Rayern, on 17 October 2025.

b.    A 31-year-old male, Chua Beng Kai Jeremy, on 22 October 2025.

c.     A 25-year-old female, Low Hui Mei, on 24 October 2025.

Persons charged in Court for alleged smuggling of e-vaporisers

6.         Ten cases of smuggling of regular e-vaporisers were detected at the airport, checkpoints or cruise centres in the past nine weeks. Two persons received stern warnings, five were fined and two were charged in court. The remaining case is under investigation. Overall, more than 26,000 e-vaporisers and related components were seized.
Cases detected through hotline and online reporting

7.         Over the past nine weeks, there were more than 2,600 cases of e-vaporiser activities reported through HSA’s online reporting form and hotlines. HSA was able to conduct targeted enforcement actions based on these public reports.

8.         Based on the leads provided, HSA and the National Environment Agency carried out joint enforcement operations at hotspot areas from 8 to 10 October 2025, including Khatib, Yishun and Punggol. Five individuals aged between 15 to 37 years old were caught and fined on the spot. A total of six e-vaporisers and related components were seized, including one e-vaporiser pod which subsequently tested positive for etomidate.

9.         The public also reported online listings, social media posts, and messaging platforms with illegal advertisements and posts. For the past nine weeks, HSA removed more than 570 online e-vaporiser-related listings, offending websites and Telegram groups, and have taken actions against two individuals who posted content of themselves vaping or possessing e-vaporisers on social media.

10.       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

11.       The Government continues to provide support to those who need help and support to quit vaping. In the last nine weeks, 50 persons voluntarily enrolled in the QuitVape programme at IMH and the four participating SSAs to quit the use of etomidate vaping. Close to 230 persons have signed up for Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) 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.

12.       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, penalties under the various laws 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.

13.       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).

Results from sampling of seized pods

14.        HSA has been conducting random surveillance testing of e-vaporisers seized since July 2025. HSA has observed a declining trend of e-vaporiser pods found to contain etomidate in seized samples from the e-vaporiser offenders. Out of a sample size of 100 e-vaporiser pods, one-third were found to contain etomidate in July 2025. This proportion dropped to 12 percent in August 2025, following the announcement of the inclusion of etomidate under the Misuse of Drugs Act on 20 July 2025. The percentage of e-vaporiser pods containing etomidate has since fallen further to 9 percent in September 2025.

Enhanced penalties since 1 September 2025

15.       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.

16.       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.

17.       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.

18.       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 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.

19.       Vaping is illegal in Singapore. The Government remains committed to strengthening enforcement efforts while providing support for those seeking to quit vaping. For more information, visit gov.sg/stopvaping.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY

7 NOVEMBER 2025