Between January and August this year, 3,912 people have been caught using and possessing e-vaporisers or vapes, as the number of cases continues to rise annually.
In the year 2021, 4,697 people were caught for the same offence, more than triple the figure of 1,266 in the previous year.
In 2019, the number stood at 811.
428 people have been caught selling vapes from 2018 to August 2022, according to the Health Sciences Authority on Tuesday. In the same period, 91 were prosecuted.
Although the use, purchase and possession of e-vaporisers was banned in Singapore from February 2018, such products continue to be sold online and smuggled into the country.
HSA works closely with our partner agencies to stem the flow of e-vaporisers smuggled through checkpoints and via online orders, said the agency.
It monitors social media platforms and messaging apps for anyone suspected of selling vapes, refill liquids and cartridges.
We work with related e-commerce sites to shut down listings immediately upon detection. HSA has collaborated with online platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Carousell to remove illegal postings on tobacco related products, according to HSA, in order to complement our enforcement operations.
More than 6,800 postings were removed in the year 2021.