Greed, ignorance drive Malaysians to smuggle cigs, vapes into Singapore

Serina said reports of Malaysian motorcyclists, bus commuters and lorry drivers caught at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints have not stopped others from attempting to smuggle banned items.

“Singapore is so serious about clamping down on vapes and illegal cigarettes that there are signs everywhere including at the two checkpoints,” she said.

Serina says some smugglers were “trying their luck” at the land checkpoints.

Among the cases reported in the media was the arrest of a 37-year-old Malaysian man in September last year after more than 3.8kg of drugs were found in his Malaysia-registered car.

In another September 2025 case, Singapore authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle 2,400 cartons of cigarettes with unpaid duty in a Malaysian-registered lorry, with the consignment declared as “tomatoes”.

In October 2025, officers at Woodlands Checkpoint uncovered 1,981 cartons and 2,780 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed in a modified floorboard of a Malaysian-registered lorry.

Also in the same month, Singapore authorities dismantled a vape smuggling syndicate from Malaysia, arresting a woman and 11 men and seizing over 64,000 vaping devices.

In November last year, four Malaysian men were arrested and 3,100 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized during an inland enforcement operation in the republic.

Johor Bumiputra Consumer Association chairman Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed said cases involving Malaysians caught attempting to smuggle cigarettes and vape liquids into the republic can have spillover effects on other Malaysians, including those working in Singapore.

Syed Abdullah said it was wrong to blame Malaysian authorities for failing to stop individuals from bringing illegal substances into Singapore.

“Take responsibility for your actions, choices and their consequences rather than blaming external factors or others for your situation,” he added.