An Indonesian man was sentenced to six hours of community service and fined RM300 ($0.02) by the Sessions Court in Alor Star yesterday (January 26), after pleading guilty to discarding a cigarette butt in a public area, marking the first prosecution in Kedah under amended littering provisions of Malaysia’s Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007. The defendant, 39-year-old construction worker, admitted to the offence committed near Alor Star Tower shortly after midnight on January 1, where he was found disposing of the cigarette butt outside a designated bin. The amended law introduces mandatory community service for littering offences, allowing fines of up to RM2,000 ($0.12) and up to 12 hours of community service.
Tag: fine
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Arizona Vape Shops Fined $460K for Selling to Minors
Arizona’s Attorney General Kris Mayes ordered that a vape shop owner with several locations pay $460,000 in restitution for illegally selling tobacco and nicotine products to underage customers. Mayes’ office cited multiple violations at various locations, and alleged the stores continued illegal sales even after citations, fines, and warnings. The lawsuit said Pro Source Supply LLC, Pro Source Vapes LLC, and Pro Source CBD LLC, all owned by Timothy Kell, refused to check IDs and knowingly sold tobacco and nicotine products to underage buyers.
As part of the settlement, Pro Source must implement strict age-verification policies, enhanced employee training, electronic ID scanning, and regular compliance checks. The company is also prohibited from selling single cigarettes, flavored cigarillos at certain locations, and products resembling candy, toys, or school supplies. A compliance officer will be hired, and third-party audits will be reported to the attorney general’s office.
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Tobacco Retailer Fined $13M Under Wisconsin’s New Vape Law
Wisconsin regulators imposed some of the largest penalties yet under the state’s new vape-sales restriction law, fining Exclusive Tobacco nearly $13 million and issuing a separate $450,000 penalty to Green Bay–based Dave’z Smoke N Vape. The Department of Revenue said Exclusive Tobacco’s Oshkosh location was found selling vape products not included on the state’s approved directory and operating with an expired municipal license. Inspectors seized 1,244 illegal vapes, and because the law carries a $1,000-per-device-per-day penalty, the fine totaled more than $12.4 million. A follow-up inspection triggered an additional $431,000 fine. Both cases are under appeal.
The state has stepped up enforcement since the law took effect September 1, issuing 42 removal orders and conducting 27 product seizures, including actions against shops operating without valid licenses. Regulators say the directory system—allowing only 303 approved products—is intended to standardize the market and reduce youth access. Store owners counter that the rule has wiped out much of their inventory, with some retailers reporting severe losses, employee layoffs, and even store closures.
A legal challenge is underway, with the industry group Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking and Tobacco appealing a federal judge’s refusal to block the law. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals began hearing arguments this week, and a ruling is expected early next year. Shop owners argue the law unfairly benefits large tobacco companies, while state officials maintain it is a measured approach to regulating a rapidly expanding market.
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Netherlands Increases Fines for Illegal Vape and Cigarette Sales
The outgoing Dutch government plans to sharply increase fines for the illegal sale of vapes and cigarettes starting July 1, 2026, pending parliamentary approval, Dutch News reported today. Under the proposal, first-time offenders will face a €2,040 fine, rising to €3,060 for a second offence. Large companies with over 50 employees could be fined €4,040.
Caretaker Health Minister Judith Tielen said the move sends a strong warning: “Selling illegal vapes will cost you dearly, even for a first offence.” Illegal vape and cigarette sales remain widespread in the Netherlands, particularly online and in small shops, despite bans on sales to minors and flavored vapes
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Hong Kong to Ban Vapes, Crack Down on All Tobacco
Hong Kong is seeking to ban the possession of e-cigarettes and other alternative smoking products in public by the end of April next year, along with other proposed measures to curb smoking in the city. Authorities are proposing to raise the fixed fine for smoking violations from HK$1,500 to HK$3,000 ($195 to $390). The statutory no-smoking areas would also be expanded. These measures were published in the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 last week.
The bill, scheduled to be tabled at the Legislative Council April 30, covers eight smoking control measures that require legislative amendments.
The bill also suggests authorizing the Secretary for Health to expand no-smoking areas based on the conditions of different districts, as well as to establish exemptions. Hong Kong residents will be barred from smoking while queuing for public transport or outside places with high foot traffic, such as sports venues and health centers.
The sale of flavored traditional smoking products is banned under the proposed law, with the city’s authorities saying that tobacco companies have used flavorings to “disguise the toxicity” of the products and “entice young people to smoke.” The government plans to impose the ban in phases, with the first phase targeting products with specified additives, excluding menthol. A full implementation is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2027. Violators face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 ($6,500) and six months behind bars.
In a move to crack down on illicit cigarettes, the government is proposing to require importers and local producers to ensure there is a label attached to every pack of taxed cigarettes sold. Selling or supplying any cigarettes that have no label on their packaging is prohibited.
The bill also includes a prohibition on providing smoking products to individuals under 18, which is set to take effect on January 1 next year. Those who provide traditional smoking products to minors will face a fine of HK$3,000 for small quantities, while the maximum fine for larger quantities will be HK$25,000 ($3,250). Penalties for supplying alternative smoking products to underage individuals are higher, with a fine of up to HK$50,000 and six months’ imprisonment.
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Croatian Authorities Targeting Terraces
Croatia allows for small hospitality venues (under 50 square meters) to designate themselves as smoking areas, while larger ones can set up ventilated smoking zones. However, authorities are suddenly waging war on smoking on enclosed terraces. Since the start of this year, Croatian authorities have carried out 389 inspections in hospitality venues and leveled 181 violations for smoking on terraces.
For such an offense, businesses can be fined €19,908, putting extra pressure on an industry struggling to stay afloat.
“Why all these checks now, and why such steep fines?” said Željko Pojer, president of the Požega Craftsmen’s Association and a nightclub owner. “The nightlife in Croatia has been dying for a while. A total smoking ban would bring hospitality to its knees. If a full ban comes in, most of us will have to shut down and let our staff go.”
Last year, the European Commission floated the idea of banning smoking in outdoor spaces too, but hospitality and hotel sectors pushed back hard, and the proposal fizzled out. Pojer argues that the industry’s survival hinges on flexibility, not stricter rules.
“When we brought in our smoking ban years ago, everyone saw it wouldn’t work,” he said. “Businesses collapsed. That’s why we got these exceptions for smoking areas.”