Criminal networks target unemployed young men from Johor Bahru to transport illegal vapes and cigarettes across Singapore borders. The Singapore Accident Help Centre documented 77 recruitment cases from October 2024 through July 2025. Social worker Farizatul Firdaus explained that jobless youth become easy targets for these operations. Two men in their twenties accepted RM1,000 payments to carry packages they believed contained betel leaves.
Authorities arrested the pair at Woodlands Checkpoint after discovering over 300 vape units during their second smuggling attempt. Syndicates employ various transportation methods through cars, buses, motorcycles and trucks to move contraband. Singapore officials confiscated more than 15,000 vaping devices at border checkpoints during June and July alone.
Despite Johor banning vape sales since 2016, retailers continue operating throughout the region. Singapore authorities seized products worth S$41 million between January 2024 and March 2025, representing a fivefold increase from previous years.
Authorities arrested the pair at Woodlands Checkpoint after discovering over 300 vape units during their second smuggling attempt. Syndicates employ various transportation methods through cars, buses, motorcycles and trucks to move contraband. Singapore officials confiscated more than 15,000 vaping devices at border checkpoints during June and July alone.
Despite Johor banning vape sales since 2016, retailers continue operating throughout the region. Singapore authorities seized products worth S$41 million between January 2024 and March 2025, representing a fivefold increase from previous years.
