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Tobacco distributor fined S$15,000 for supplying cigarettes at Ultra Singapore 2016 music event

SINGAPORE — A leading tobacco supplier was fined S$15,000 on Thursday (Feb 20) after admitting to advertising and distributing cigarettes at the 2016 edition of popular music festival Ultra Singapore.

When festival-goers at Ultra Singapore placed orders for cigarettes at JTI’s booths, part-time workers would get them at the nearby 7-Eleven convenience store at Bayfront MRT Station.

When festival-goers at Ultra Singapore placed orders for cigarettes at JTI’s booths, part-time workers would get them at the nearby 7-Eleven convenience store at Bayfront MRT Station.

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SINGAPORE — A leading tobacco supplier was fined S$15,000 on Thursday (Feb 20) after admitting to advertising and distributing cigarettes at the 2016 edition of popular music festival Ultra Singapore.

JT International Singapore (JTI), one of the festival’s sponsors, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. Five similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The company had conspired with Ultra Singapore and Pico Art International, the event manager, to supply cigarettes without a licence at two concierge booths during the festival. 

JTI also listed the prices for the cigarette brands Winston, Camel, Mevius and LD in an advertisement at the booths. They provided about 1,300 to 1,600 packets over the two-day event.

Only those above 18 years old — the legal smoking age here at the time — were allowed to enter the grounds. The minimum legal age has been raised to 20 now. 

Festival-goers then were banned from taking in open containers such as cigarette packets, in support of the Central Narcotics Bureau’s drug enforcement efforts.

This meant that smokers would have no choice but to buy JTI’s cigarettes if they wanted to smoke there.

The court heard that in April 2016, Pico’s show producer Mark Lim reached out to JTI’s trade marketing manager to discuss a possible sponsorship.

Representatives from Ultra soon joined their meetings and they discussed how they would work together.

Prosecutor Prakash Otharam of the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) told the court: “Ultra suspected that there might be issues pertaining to the legality of the collaboration with JTI, but took the position that they were agreeable to the working collaboration so long as JTI ensured that the working collaboration was legal.

“In spite of its suspicion, Ultra nonetheless agreed to the collaboration with JTI.”

The three parties agreed that under their sponsorship arrangement, Ultra would receive S$20,000 for a start.

JTI would also pay Ultra a performance-based incentive depending on how many packets of cigarettes were distributed at the festival.

In return, and on JTI’s terms, Ultra agreed to set up two booths to be supervised by JTI’s employees. Pico agreed to help JTI by hiring part-time workers to operate the booths.

The advertisements with cigarette prices were put up there.

When festival-goers placed orders for the cigarettes, the part-timers related the orders to their colleagues stationed at the nearby 7-Eleven convenience store at Bayfront MRT Station, so that they would get the cigarettes.

The part-timers would then leave the festival grounds to collect and distribute them to the buyers.

As the number of orders increased over the course of the festival, JTI began buying the advertised cigarette brands in bulk from the 7-Eleven store and stocking them at the booths. 

In 2018, HSA issued a notice to JTI, alleging that it went against certain sections of the tobacco control regulations at the 2016 event, the firm’s spokesperson said.

It is illegal to distribute any tobacco product in Singapore without a valid licence. Advertisements and promotions relating to tobacco products are also prohibited under the law.

Related topics

crime court cigarette tobacco Ultra Singapore JT International

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