A 28-year-old Singaporean man who was already facing several charges—including selling more than 800 Kpods—was charged with lying on a new passport application on Thursday, November 20.
Jodan Chin Wei Liang is accused of making a false statement on July 12 of this year in an electronic application for a new passport by claiming to have misplaced his passport that day.
This occurred two days after Chin was initially apprehended on July 10 in Bishan during a sting operation by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
Chin, who is still unrepresented, is currently facing ten charges, the majority of which are connected to selling vape products.
According to the Poisons Act, the charge with the most items accuse him of having 802 different vape pods containing etomidate on July 10 in the open parking lot of Block 185, Bishan Street 13.
On July 18, Chin was initially charged under the Poisons Act and Tobacco Act for offenses related to vaping.
In September, as part of Singapore's more stringent regulations for vape users and traffickers, etomidate was added to the Misuse of Drugs Act as a Class C drug, leading to additional charges against him.
However, he will be sentenced in accordance with the previous laws because his alleged offenses were committed prior to September.
Chin attempted to apply to travel abroad to Vietnam and Malaysia for grocery runs during his September court appearance, but the judge denied his request.
If found guilty of lying on his passport application, he faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence, a maximum fine of S$10,000 (US$7,650), or both.
Under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, Chin faces a maximum six-month jail sentence, a maximum fine of S$10,000, or both if found guilty of possessing counterfeit tobacco products or components for sale.
He could be fined up to S$2,000 per charge for having such items for uses other than selling.
If found guilty under the Poisons Act of possessing Kpods for sale without a valid license, he faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison, a maximum fine of S$10,000, or both.
