SINGAPORE – A polytechnic graduate who wanted to earn some money while waiting to enlist for national service decided to take on a packing job that paid $20 an hour.
For 3½ months, Tan Teck Jin packed illegal e-vaporisers and vaporiser pods at a warehouse unit in Mandai. He was estimated to have received about $7,500 in total.
Tan, who is now 22 years old, was initially sentenced to eight months’ jail and a fine of $12,000.
On March 21, his sentence was reduced to a month’s jail and a fine of $6,000 after he appealed to the High Court.
Tan was one of five runners who were detained at the warehouse unit in March 2023, in an operation where $3.1 million worth of e-vaporisers and related components were seized.
It was the largest haul of vape products at the time, but has since been surpassed by a raid in May 2024 which netted $5 million worth of e-vaporisers and parts.
Tan had pleaded guilty to two charges. One charge involved the packing of 60,552 pieces of vape refill pods, and the other involves the packing of 134,040 sets of disposable vaporisers.
In November 2024, a district judge meted out four months’ jail and $6,000 on each charge, and ordered the jail terms to run consecutively.
At his appeal hearing, Tan’s lawyer, Mr Tang Shangwei from WongPartnership, sought probation for his client.
Alternatively, Mr Tang argued for 1½ months’ and $3,000 fine per charge, with the jail terms running concurrently.
He argued that Tan was a youthful offender who deserved a second chance, and that his client should be treated more leniently than some of the co-accused.
Mr Tang noted that 33-year-old Tham Jia Wei, who was a supervisor and had travelled to Malaysia to meet the syndicate’s management, was given eight months’ jail and a $6,000 fine.
Health Sciences Authority prosecutor Yang Ziliang displayed samples of the seized items in court as he argued for consecutive jail terms because vaporisers and refill pods are different products.
He added that the four other men received sentences in the same range, and they did not appeal.
Giving brief reasons for his decision, Justice Tay Yong Kwang noted that the offences are serious as they have health and social consequences.
The judge noted that Tan had pleaded guilty at an early stage and would have been granted a 30 per cent discount under sentencing guidelines.
He also noted that the maximum punishment for each charge is a $10,000 fine, or six months’ jail, or both.
Justice Tay said it would appear that the starting points for Tan’s jail terms and fines were pegged at or near the maximum punishment provided by law.
This was too harsh in light of Tan’s age and his role as a packer, said the judge.
He said a months’ jail and a fine of $3,000 for each charge would suffice as punishment for a relatively young man, deprive him of a substantial portion of what he was paid, and still send a deterrent message to other young persons not to be involved in such activities.
Consecutive jail terms were not necessary, the judge added.
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Thanks for sharing!