After Ban, Two Men With 89 E-Cigarettes Caught At Chennai Airport

On September 18^th, the Indian government approved a ban on vaping products like e-cigarettes due to its concern about young people's health. Any action including producing, importing, distributing, storing or advertising one of these products will face punishment.

People could be sentenced to one year in jail or pay a fine worth about a Rs 1 Lakh for their first-time offense. Repeated offenders will face a three-year sentence and a quintupled fine.

The Indian government realized the health risks regarding the constant use of vapes; meanwhile, we haven't yet been fully aware of how these products affect on human's health. But according to The Association of Vapers India or AVI, the complete ban of vaping products has initiated a boom in illegal sales.

And apparently, desperate vapers began to amass the illegal products and there are even people getting arrested for smuggling e-juices and vape devices at airports.

Recently, at the Chennai airport, two men were spotted when carrying 74 e-cigarette cartridges and 89 e-cigarettes estimated at Rs 1.10 lakh.

Having put the two men under arrest, the officials continued their search for vapes smugglers from foreign countries who are supposedly the providers for Indian black market.

The two men going by the name of Mohamed Ribai and Abbasali Syed Ebrahim traveled from Hong Kong via Thailand on a Thai Airways plane.

The police also found in their luggage Rs 6.2 lakh worth of gold and Rs 21.2 lakh niche laptops.

They have been officially charged under the Customs Act 1962, Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992 and Prohibition of Electronics.

A Group of Ministers or GoM has already examined the Prohibition of E-cigarettes Ordinance, 2019. The Indian government also took into consideration the suggestions of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the outright prohibition of e-cigarettes.

The PM Narendra Modi's government, in the second term, has emphasized their priorities within the first 100 days to completely prohibit smoking alternatives such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, e-hookah pens, and vapes.

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