Anyone who visits Singapore knows you absolutely do not break the rules there. It’s a lovely city to visit, but there’s a good reason everything is so clean and neat!
For example, the sale and import of chewing gum is illegal, jaywalking is punished with a fine, smoking is illegal in most areas, and if you’re considered to have imported drugs you face a mandatory death penalty.
But 18-year-old French teenager Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien apparently figured this was a great place to play a disgusting prank in the hopes of scoring some likes on social media.
He posted a video of himself taking a straw from a compartment on a vending machine, licking it, then putting it back amongst the unused straws. His video was captioned “city is not safe”. Well, yeah, and you’re the one making it that way!
It’s not as if he’s some dumb tourist either: Maximilien was studying in a French business school, so presumably knows all too well how seriously Singapore takes its rules.
18-Year-Old French Teen Faces Jail Time for Licking a Straw in Singapore
— Henry (@yanguolius48207) April 30, 2026
He did this, then put the straw back in the vending machine, and even shared the video online.
Now he could face up to two years in prison, a fine of several thousand dollars, and the replacement of 500… pic.twitter.com/vGMmyE6RfP
This is the last straw!
The video (and probably also the straw) promptly went viral, and disgusted Singaporeans demanded justice. Now Maximilien has been officially charged with mischief and public nuisance. The mischief charges carry a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine (or both), while public nuisance carries a charge of up to three months in prison or a fine (or both).
The juice vending machine company IJooz seems to want prosecutors to throw the book at Maximilien, saying that in the wake of this, they’re planning to upgrade their machines to ensure that individual straws are only dispensed after a transaction is completed. They have also had to replace all 500 strawers in the machine, which they want Maximilien to pay for.
This boneheaded move may well affect Maximilien for years to come. Right now, he has been granted permission to travel to Manila in May for a school trip necessary for his graduation. I’m sure he and his family have given assurances that he will return for the next hearing on May 29, but you have to imagine they’re weighing up whether he can make a break for France and never set foot in Singapore again.
Published: Apr 30, 2026 10:14 am