SINGAPORE, Sept 14 — A Malaysian man accused of being a key figure in Singapore’s illegal e-vaporiser trade has been in remand for nearly a year.

Chua Wee Ming, 34, was arrested in an islandwide operation on Oct 10, 2024, and is facing multiple charges including cheating and obstructing justice, The Straits Times reported.

Authorities said Chua played a major role in importing and distributing vapes from Malaysia into Singapore.

Court documents revealed that his name first surfaced after a commercial unit in Sembawang was burgled in May 2022.

Warehouse manager Lim Zhi Wei initially told police that information technology gadgets were stolen, but investigators later found the missing items were vapes worth S$470,000.

Lim admitted to packing, delivering and selling vapes in Singapore over two months, earning between S$2,000 (RM6,500) and S$3,000 in total.

He said he had carried out the work for a Malaysian man known only as “Jason”, who was later linked to Chua.

Prosecutors alleged that Chua and another man had broken into the same Sembawang unit to steal the vape products.

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

The Singaporean, who owed S$80,000 in gambling debts, said Chua promised to help him settle his loans if he helped with the vape operation.

The man was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint in September 2022 while attempting to smuggle vape products into Singapore from Johor Bahru.

Afterwards, Chua allegedly instructed him to rent the Woodlands warehouse under his name, which was later used for the vaping business.

Authorities raided the warehouse in April 2024 and seized S$5.2 million worth of vape products, while arresting two Thai nationals who worked as packers.

Investigators said the Thai men, along with three others, were recruited through the messaging platform Line to handle the distribution.

Chua’s case will return to court on Sept 25 for a pre-trial conference.