SINGAPORE – An alleged key player in the e-vaporiser trade in Singapore, who got another man to rent a warehouse to store vapes, has been held in remand for almost a year.

Malaysian national Chua Wee Ming, who was arrested after an islandwide operation on Oct 10, 2024, is facing accusations that he was involved in a number of cases from as early as 2022.

The 34-year-old faces multiple charges, including that of cheating and attempting to obstruct the course of justice. He is said to have facilitated the importation and distribution of vapes from Malaysia into Singapore.

In a joint statement after his arrest, the police and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) accused Chua of being a key syndicate figure who had orchestrated the importation and distribution of vapes from Malaysia into Singapore.

His name first emerged after a commercial unit in Sembawang was burgled, court documents obtained by The Straits Times showed.

Lim Zhi Wei, who was in charge of the warehouse, claimed information technology gadgets were taken from the unit. But the authorities learnt that the stolen items were actually $470,000 worth of vapes.

Lim eventually admitted to having packed, delivered and sold vapes in Singapore, and was fined $8,500.

During investigations, he revealed that he had carried out the activities over two months for a Malaysian national named “Jason”. He said he was paid between $2,000 and $3,000 in total.

Court documents showed that it was allegedly Chua, together with another man, who broke into the commercial unit on May 9, 2022, to steal the vape products.

Chua’s name came up again in 2023, when he allegedly used a Singaporean’s identity to rent a Woodlands warehouse to store vape products.

During investigations, the Singaporean man claimed he was introduced to Chua by another acquaintance, after he amassed a gambling debt of $80,000. The three men had met one another at a pub in Malaysia.