Adelaide Ang’s bid for extra income through illegal vapes spiralled into drugs, theft and work-pass fraud.
A 26-year-old nightclub waitress who started selling illegal vapes via chat apps for small commissions has been jailed after a string of offences that later included methamphetamine use, shop theft and a false work-pass declaration.
Vape Side Business And Online Ads
Adelaide Ang Rui Yan observed customers vaping while working as a nightclub waitress and saw an opportunity to earn extra money. In late 2020 a friend linked her to a Telegram vape supplier who offered a commission of $2 to $3 per customer. From December 2020, Ang advertised vapes and paraphernalia on her WhatsApp and Telegram accounts, posting photos and prices. Once orders were confirmed, she directed buyers to the supplier’s self-collection point or arranged delivery via a logistics firm, collecting payments through PayNow.
Low Profits, High Legal Risk
Investigations showed Ang had been peddling vapes since December 2020, ultimately making only about $100 in profit. Her scheme unravelled in March 2021 when a customer caught purchasing vape products gave police her details. She was later charged under Singapore’s strict laws that ban the sale of vaping products, which authorities consider a key plank in preventing youth nicotine addiction and illicit tobacco markets.
Drug Use And Shop Theft Convictions
Beyond the vape offences, Ang admitted to consuming methamphetamine around December 2025, a class A controlled drug that carries serious penalties. She also pleaded guilty to stealing more than $124 worth of products from a Watsons outlet at Anchorpoint mall on Alexandra Road, adding a retail theft conviction to her record and highlighting a pattern of escalating unlawful behaviour.
False Work-Pass Declaration
Ang was further convicted of conspiring to make a false statement in support of a work-pass application, falsely claiming in 2023 that she intended to employ a foreign national as a migrant domestic worker when she had no such intention. The offence undermined Singapore’s tightly regulated foreign manpower system, which depends on accurate declarations to protect both households and migrant workers.
Sentencing And Wider Deterrence
On May 5, Ang was sentenced to one year and seven weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to four charges covering illegal vape sales, methamphetamine consumption, shop theft and breaching foreign manpower regulations, with another 21 charges taken into consideration. The case underscores how seemingly small, illicit side hustles and personal misjudgements can quickly multiply into serious criminal liability under Singapore’s tough stance on vaping, drugs, theft and immigration-related fraud.
Ang’s trajectory from earning a few dollars per vape referral to serving a custodial sentence shows how quickly minor-seeming online dealings and poor choices can spiral into multiple offences. For Indonesians and Singaporeans, the case reinforces that illicit vaping, casual drug use and cutting corners on work-pass rules are treated seriously in Singapore, and that short-term gains are far outweighed by long-term legal and personal costs.
Sources: Straits Times (2026) , Asia One (2026)
Keywords: Adelaide Ang Rui Yan, Illegal Vape Sales, Methamphetamine Use, Watsons Theft, False Work Pass Statement
