SINGAPORE: A man was given 24 weeks’ jail after he was caught attempting to smuggle more than 3,000 vape cartridges and pods into Singapore.
He was also fined S$800 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 24 months after his release.
Muhammad Musray, 21, pleaded guilty to three charges on Thursday (Feb 12) – importing vapes, driving without valid insurance and driving without a licence.
According to court documents, Musray, a Malaysian, was caught at about 12.10pm on June 17, 2025, when officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) conducted checks on Malaysian-registered vehicles at Woodlands Checkpoint.
Musray had been driving a car without a driving licence at the time of the offence and had another man, Muhammad Haiqal Zaini, 22, as his passenger.
Both men were found to be involved in the smuggling operation, Health Sciences Authority prosecutor Debra Ann Tan said. Haiqal’s case is still before the courts.
ICA officers uncovered eight carton boxes that contained a total of 3,480 cartridges and pods concealed in the boot of the vehicle.
Investigations revealed that both men worked for an unknown person, known to them as “Din”, and that they had previously successfully smuggled vapes into Singapore.
On June 17, 2025, the two men were supposed to drive the car, which was loaded with the vapes, into Singapore.
Both men said they were unaware of the drop-off location, as “Din” would reveal the postal code only when they entered Singapore undetected.
For Musray’s vape-related offences, Tan sought an imprisonment term of 20 weeks.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Melissa Heng sought a jail term of four to five weeks, a $700 fine and a two-year driving disqualification for his driving offences.
In mitigation, Musray’s lawyer, David Nayar from David Nayar and Associates, said his client was a first-time offender and had no authority or control over the destination or the recipients of the items he was smuggling.
For importing vapes, an offender can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
For driving without valid insurance, an offender can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.
For driving without a licence, an offender can be fined up to $10,000, jailed up to three years, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
