Disposable vapes significantly contribute to growing electronic waste, and they pollute landfills with plastic, metals, and lithium. Now imagine over 14,400 vapes and vape components in a single truck.
What's happening?
According to the Straight Times, 32-year-old truck driver Mohammad Fakaruddin Mohd Rosli was stopped at Tuas Checkpoint between Malaysia and Singapore on June 9, where officers found 4,780 and 9,690 vape components concealed in the truck.
Fakaruddin's passport was seized, and then he was released in Singapore pending investigation. Three days later, officers found him in the cargo compartment of a different truck in an attempt to return back to Malaysia. Fakaruddin pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to 27 weeks in jail on Nov. 3. The other driver, attempting to help him, was also charged.
When submitting evidence to back his request for a lighter sentence, Fakaruddin told the court he had a newborn son with medical needs who feared he wouldn't be able to support him while in custody.
"I am pleading with Your Honour for a lower sentence... I don't want anything to happen to my child," Fakruddin said to the judge as cited in the report.
The prosecutors still argued that the scale of smuggling was too serious, and the judge upheld the 27-week sentence.
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Why does this matter for people and the environment?
There are serious consequences when truck operators attempt to bypass regulations. and there have been similar enforcement actions in other instances of irresponsible trucking and contributions to environmental harm. For example, in Washington State, a business owner faced millions of dollars in penalties for modifying trucks by removing the air pollution trackers.
Vape products also carry significant disposal risks. Disposable vapes contribute to toxic e-waste because their lithium batteries and plastic casings are commonly thrown in household trash and increase the risk of fires. The pollution compounds the concerns already worsened by longer and drier fire seasons and other extreme weather patterns, as per NOAA research.
What's being done about vape smuggling?
According to the Straits Times, the judge noted that Fakaruddin had actively sought out smuggling jobs before the attempt to smuggle the vape products, and that was part of the reasoning to uphold the sentence despite his family's hardship.
Both Malaysia and Singapore have complete bans on vapes and continue to uphold strict rules and enforcement when it comes to vape smuggling.
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If you want to know how to contribute to helping reduce the impact of disposable vapes, choosing plastic-free products and supporting companies that take action by reducing their plastic production is a great way to get involved.
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