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SINGAPORE – Five Malaysian men will spend weeks in jail for bringing 53,249 bags of chewing tobacco to Singapore on September 7.
Chewing tobacco sachets worth around $ 213,000 were discovered in black polythene bags hidden in the bunks and engine compartments of bowser trucks registered in Malaysia by Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) officers at Tuas Checkpoint.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Tuesday (September 22) that the five men had been instructed to go to designated parking lots in Singapore to deliver the chewing tobacco to a contact person.
The Malaysian men, aged between 37 and 51, were sentenced to prison terms of between five and 16 weeks.
According to the HSA, the type of chewing tobacco brought in by the Malays is known as Khaini tobacco, a compound of moist, dark brown tobacco leaves mixed with slaked lime or spices.
The HSA reminded the public that the importation, distribution, sale, or offering for sale of emerging tobacco products are prohibited under the Tobacco (Sale and Advertising Control) Act.
Such products include shisha tobacco, smokeless tobacco, and chewing tobacco such as Gutkha, Khaini, Zarda, vaporizers and their components.
First-time offenders can be fined up to $ 10,000 and jailed for up to six months. For each count of the crime, repeat offenders can be fined up to $ 20,000 and jailed for up to 12 months.
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