Eunice Joy Ng, a 26-year-old Singapore influencer known as "Mermaid Girl," was fined S$3,500 on May 29, 2026, after pleading guilty to advertising vapes for sale on her personal Telegram account in late 2025 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Ng was charged under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act for publishing an advertisement that suggested purchase of imitation tobacco products [1].
Around November 2025, Ng purchased five vapes from a Telegram seller at S$13 each. She advertised them on Telegram and sold two units for S$15 each [1, 2, 3, 4]. She continued advertising the vapes until about December 2025, when the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) launched an investigation into her activities [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act was renamed and strengthened on May 1, 2026, imposing harsher penalties for vape advertising, sale, and use. Under the new law, vape users can be fined up to S$10,000. Sellers may face fines up to S$200,000 and up to six years in jail [1, 2, 3, 4].
Prosecutors had initially sought a S$4,000 fine for Ng, but the judge set the penalty at S$3,500, considering this was her first offence and involved only one charge [1]. Ng described the fine as "a bit high for me because it was her first time being charged with such an offence. She added that she did not understand the rationale for the amount and hoped to receive a lighter sentence" [1]. HSA prosecuting counsel Nur Afiqah responded that "the amount was warranted, especially given the enforcement climate and public health concerns surrounding the proliferation of vapes. She added that deterrence is necessary to discourage such conduct" [1].
Ng's case marks one of the first penalties enforced under the updated Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act that took effect in early May 2026.
