GREED and ignorance are among the reasons some Malaysians are still willing to smuggle cigarettes and vape liquids into Singapore.
National University of Singapore (NUS) Southeast Asia Studies lecturer Dr Serina Rahman said: “They are trying their luck and crossing their fingers hoping that they will not be caught by the Singapore authorities.”
She said those who got caught were foolish to believe they could beat the system.
“It is probably the chance of earning lots of money and ignorance of the severity of the crime that make them take the risk.”
Serina said there were many Customs officers at the two land crossings linking Malaysia and Singapore profiling travellers, including locals commuting daily to work in the republic.
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.
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.
