Vape syndicate member's guilty plea reveals inner workings of local operations

SINGAPORE: For over three years, a local syndicate distributed electronic vaporisers imported from Malaysia, expanding to recruit different tiers of members and renting warehouses in Lentor and Canberra to store the goods.

The organised group ran chat groups on Telegram and WhatsApp to facilitate orders, deliveries and administrative details, naming chats based on the postal codes of delivery addresses.

When the authorities swept in on Oct 16, 2025, they seized over 57,000 vapes and related components from the two warehouses.

On Thursday (Aug 6), one of the lower-rung members pleaded guilty, shedding light on the inner workings of the syndicate.

Roy Tan Jun Jie, a 34-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to a charge each of being a member of a locally linked organised criminal group and for possessing imitation tobacco products for sale.

THE CASE

Tan was introduced to a delivery job by a friend in October 2024. He was also introduced to a syndicate member - 33-year-old Singaporean Adrian Chia Hong Qing.

Chia briefed Tan on his roles and responsibilities as an area distributor, and Tan took up the role as he was enticed by the additional income.

As an area distributor, in the third and lowest rung of the syndicate, Tan was added to chat groups and used the moniker V.

He was assigned to postal areas with codes starting with 3 and 4, and used his car to perform deliveries.

He also promoted and placed orders for vapes on behalf of his friends, earning some commission for these orders.

Tan delivered between 15 and 30 orders a day, earning between S$3,000 (US$2,300) and S$4,000 a month for his role in the syndicate. He estimates earning about S$45,000 in total from his stint.

The court heard that the syndicate had several other members facing prosecution, most of them Singaporean.

From mid-2022 to Oct 16, 2025, the syndicate distributed vapes imported from Malaysia in a three-tier operation, with local syndicate leaders at the top, followed by local distributors, then area distributors like Tan.

The local syndicate leaders took instructions from a person known as "Nobody", who was purportedly based in Malaysia.

THE SYNDICATE'S OPERATIONS

Initially, the syndicate operated from a location in Mandai Road. It also rented a condominium unit in Canberra in February 2025 which functioned as a second warehouse after "Nobody" wanted to expand operations.

The syndicate subsequently relocated operations from Mandai to a warehouse in a terrace house in Lentor in April 2025.

The local syndicate leaders managed the warehouses and coordinated the deliveries of vapes and components from Malaysia as arranged by "Nobody", the court heard.

They transferred inventories between warehouses, managed vape stocks, packed them into mailing bags and arranged deliveries.

They also collected and tallied daily earnings from the local distributors, who in turn collected them from area distributors.

The leaders received money from "Nobody" and used it to pay salaries, foot warehouse rental bills and buy consumables.

In the second tier, the local distributors received supply deliveries, took stock, packed vapes into bags, sorted orders by postal codes for delivery and handed daily orders to the area distributors. They earned S$4,000 to S$8,000 a month.

Area distributors like Tan were responsible for delivering the packed orders and reporting any unsuccessful deliveries to the syndicate. They kept the cash payments and deducted their daily earnings before handing the rest to the local distributors. They earned S$10 per successful delivery.

The group communicated on WhatsApp and Telegram, receiving information from "Nobody" on WhatsApp and communicating among themselves on Telegram, using pseudonyms.

The local distributors usually met the area distributors at an open-air car park next to Block 605, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 to hand over packed orders for delivery.

They met twice, at 1pm and 6pm, to fulfil deliveries for the afternoon and the evening. The syndicate operated daily except for Sundays, delivering between 105 and 210 orders of vapes and components each day.

Tan was arrested by the police past 6pm on Oct 16, 2025. A total of 31 vapes and other items were seized from him, along with cash of about S$2,400.

The police previously said they conducted an operation that day and arrested 11 men and one woman for their suspected involvement in the possession and distribution of vapes.

Subsequent raids were conducted elsewhere, uncovering two storage locations.

The prosecution sought between 10 and 11 months' jail for Tan, along with a fine of S$45,000.

They said Singapore "has been plagued by the scourge of vaporisers", which remain popular despite posing a serious health risk to the public.

The number of people caught for using and possessing vapes rose nearly fourfold from 1,266 in 2020 to 4,916 in 2022, and almost twofold thereafter to 9,680 people in the first nine months of 2025, said the prosecutors.

The numbers remain "worryingly high", with 2,589 people caught for possessing and using vapes in the first three months of 2026 alone, they added.

The prosecution said the group's operations were complex, with defined roles and responsibilities and the use of technology.

They estimated that Tan would have delivered more than 10,000 vapes or components in his year of joining.

MITIGATION

Tan was represented by Mr Leong Kit Weng and Mr Sherman Ho from Shook Lin & Bok.

They sought six months' jail, saying this was Tan's first brush with the law and he has a strong support system in his family, fiancee, new employer and church.

They said Tan's mother died when he was young and he had to learn to be independent, working odd jobs to provide for his father since her passing.

Before delivering parcels for the syndicate, Tan worked long and odd hours as a restaurant waiter and was "open to other job opportunities" with better hours and pay, said the lawyers.

They said Tan's role was only that of a delivery man and his main focus was to "work hard and to provide for his family".

He had "virtually no control or power" in the syndicate and was not aware of the full extent of its scale and activities.

Tan has consistently given a monthly allowance to his father to ease the latter's financial burden, said the lawyers.

They added that Tan has bought a Build-to-Order flat with his fiancee and intended to marry this year and move in next year, but these plans have been put on hold.

The case was adjourned for sentencing.

For being part of a syndicate, Tan could be jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$100,000, or both.

For possessing imitation tobacco products for sale, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000.