Seven people were arrested and potentially face 20 years in prison in Cambodia for allegedly trafficking and possessing electronic cigarette products. Five suspects were apprehended in a raid on an electronic device distributor in Phnom Penh where more than 300,000 vaping items, including devices and e-liquids worth over $1 million, were seized. In a separate raid, a husband and wife were detained at a shop in Siem Reap where authorities confiscated 100 boxes of vaping paraphernalia. All the suspects face charges under Cambodia’s Law on Drugs Control.
Tag: illegal vapes
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Maldives Faces Surge in Smuggled Cigarettes and Vapes
The number of smuggled cigarettes in the Maldives has now surpassed legally imported, duty-paid cigarettes, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim said today (October 27). Speaking on behalf of the Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee), Nazim said that recent increases in cigarette import duties and the ban on vapes have fueled a spike in illicit trade, costing the state significant revenue.
Nazim said that smuggled cigarettes and vapes are widely available, often sold openly through social media, and are entering the country through customs channels. He emphasized that the committee’s recommendations, if implemented, would be critical to curbing smuggling and protecting state revenue. “People’s tax money is being lost while others profit,” he said.
The warning follows a major seizure in April when customs intercepted two containers carrying 13.6 million sticks of cigarettes disguised as plywood cargo, with an estimated value of MVR 122 million ($7.9 million). The containers remain under investigation at Maldives Ports Limited, pending referral to the Prosecutor General’s Office.