Nearly MVR 200k Collected in Vape-Related Fines in April
Vape products | Photo: Envato
The Maldives Police Service said today that it collected MVR 192,500 from 39 people in vape-related cases last month.
The Maldives banned the importation of e-cigarettes, vaping devices, and related products, effective from 15 November 2024. In the special press conference, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu gave Saturday, he revealed that the government had seized over 26,000 vape-related products since the ban came into effect last year. The statistics he presented showed that since then, 14.5 million e-cigarettes have been seized, and legal action has been taken against 177 individuals.
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Under the amended Tobacco Act, selling vape-related products can incur fines of up to MVR 5,000. Importing vape products may result in fines of up to MVR 50,000, while importing e-cigarettes can lead to penalties of up to MVR 10,000.
The government is also pushing to introduce a Generation Ban that would make it illegal for anyone born after 1 January 2007 to smoke cigarettes. The proposed amendment to the Tobacco Act, which is currently before parliament, also seeks to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21.
