The Maldivian customs have expressed concerns over the fine mechanism for vape smuggling. The current regulations may result in individuals involved facing hefty fines. The customs suggest setting an upper limit on fines to prevent excessive punishment.
Key points:
- The current regulations in the Maldives stipulate a fine of 10,000 Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) (650 US dollars) for each vape. In actual implementation, the total fine for an individual often amounts to tens of millions of MVR, raising questions about the practicality of recycling.
- The proposed legal revision plan sets the base fine at 50,000 Lufia (3,250 US dollars) and maintains the charging mechanism based on equipment.
- In 2024, more than 20 related smuggling cases have been recorded, indicating an upward trend in the problem.
- Officials suggest setting an upper limit on fines to balance the effectiveness of punishment and the feasibility of enforcement.
- Both cigarettes and vapes have been confirmed to be smuggled via yachts. Lawmakers have called for strengthened supervision over maritime channels.
Existing standards for e-cigarette fines at Maldives Customs said to be difficult to enforce
According to a report by The edition on May 7th, the Maldivian Customs recently expressed concerns about the actual implementation of the current fine mechanism for vape smuggling at the review meeting of the amendment bill of the Tobacco Control Law by the special committee of the parliament.
Ahmed Simah, the deputy inspector general of the customs, pointed out that the current regulations impose a fine of 10,000 Maldivian Lufiya (MVR) (650 US dollars) for each smuggled vape device, resulting in a hefty fine ranging from 40 million (2.6 million US dollars) to 48 million Lufiya (3.1 million US dollars) for a single person involved in the case. He said, “Although it is feasible, it is not realistic for the state to expect to recover such an amount of funds from individuals.”
Xima added that, according to the proposed draft amendment to the law, in addition to charging by equipment, a fixed starting fine of 50,000 Lufiya (3,250 US dollars) will also be added. However, actual cases show that ordinary individuals have already been fined up to 48 million lufia (3.1 million US dollars) for carrying flavored vape products.
Both cigarettes and vapes have been confirmed to be smuggled via yachts
The problem lies in the balance between fairness and executability.
Senior Police Superintendent Ibrahim Fayaz further pointed out that the products involved in some cases could accumulate to a value of 120 million Lufiya (7.8 million US dollars), which would correspond to a fine of up to 1 million Lufiya (65,000 US dollars) according to current regulations. He suggested setting an upper limit on fines for the number of devices in such situations to avoid excessive punishment.
Since the beginning of this year, the number of vape and cigarette smuggling cases has risen, and more than 20 cases have entered the penalty and criminal investigation procedures. Some lawmakers said that some cigarettes were smuggled to island areas through inbound yachts and called for strengthened inspections of inbound vessels.
The customs responded that they were making efforts to strengthen the ship inspection procedures.
