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SINGAPORE – A man who smuggled vapes and cigarettes into Singapore to sell to his friends was caught red-handed at Woodlands Checkpoint during a check by officers.<\/p>\n
Choo Yi Long, 25, was given 14 weeks\u2019 jail and fined $3,000 on Jan 7 after pleading guilty to one count of importing an imitation tobacco product and one of smuggling duty-unpaid cigarettes.<\/p>\n
His acts were discovered on Aug 24, 2025, during a check by officers. <\/p>\n
They found 171 packets of cigarettes in his bag, 20 packets in his jacket and another nine packets in his motorcycle. <\/p>\n
The total weight of the cigarettes came up to 3.3kg, and amounted to $1,964 in evaded tax. <\/p>\n
Another 10 disposable vapes were also found on him. <\/p>\n
Court records showed that Choo, a Malaysian, worked in Singapore and would commute between Johor Bahru and Singapore daily. <\/p>\n
Since he travelled across the border frequently, Choo\u2019s friends began asking him to buy Malaysian cigarettes for them. <\/p>\n
After thinking about it, he decided to sell Malaysian cigarettes to his friends for additional income. <\/p>\n
Choo would buy the cigarettes from shops near the Malaysian checkpoint and sell them to his friends at $8 a packet, earning a profit of $2 a packet. <\/p>\n
He purchased the disposable vapes from a supplier at KSL shopping mall in Johor Bahru and sold them in Singapore for about $9.50 each. <\/p>\n
Court records did not state how much he earned from each vape sold. <\/p>\n
For importing an imitation tobacco product, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both. <\/p>\n
Offenders who smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore can be fined at least 15 times the evaded customs duty, jailed for up to three years, or both. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n