ICA foils attempt to smuggle 2,200 e-vaporisers at Tuas Checkpoint
Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) foiled an attempt to smuggle 2,200 e-vaporisers and related components into the country via Tuas Checkpoint on 5 August 2025. The latest seizure adds to a series of vape smuggling incidents detected at land checkpoints in recent weeks.
- ICA officers seized 2,200 e-vaporisers and parts from a Malaysia-registered lorry at Tuas Checkpoint on 5 August 2025.
- The contraband was hidden in the vehicle’s cabin and toolbox compartment and has been referred to HSA for investigation.
- The case is part of a growing trend of vape smuggling attempts at Singapore’s land checkpoints.
Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) have intercepted a smuggling attempt involving 2,200 e-vaporisers and related components at Tuas Checkpoint, marking the latest in a series of such cases in recent weeks.
The Malaysian-registered lorry was stopped on 5 August 2025 and directed for enhanced checks. During the inspection, ICA officers uncovered the vape products hidden within the vehicle’s cabin and toolbox compartment.
The ICA said in a Facebook post on 8 August that the case has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for further investigation.
No further details were released about the driver or potential accomplices, but authorities noted that investigations are ongoing.
The interception adds to a string of recent smuggling attempts involving e-vaporisers at Singapore’s land borders.
On 29 July, ICA officers seized 2,400 e-vaporisers and accessories from another Malaysia-registered lorry entering Tuas Checkpoint. The cargo had been falsely declared as precast products.
Just days earlier, on 24 July, more than 5,900 units were discovered hidden in a car at Woodlands Checkpoint. Officers also found 150 cartons of heatsticks — a form of heat-not-burn tobacco — concealed in multiple compartments of the same vehicle.
According to ICA data, 308 vape-related smuggling cases were detected across Singapore’s air, land, and sea checkpoints in 2024.
Smugglers have employed increasingly sophisticated concealment methods, hiding the banned products in dashboard compartments, wheel wells, undercarriages, and even inside air filter boxes. In some cases, vehicles were specially modified to store larger quantities of contraband.
An ICA spokesperson told Mothership that the agency maintains a “multi-pronged approach” to detecting and preventing smuggling activities.
“All cargo vehicles and buses entering Singapore are scanned through radiographic imaging portals, producing both top and side views of each vehicle,” the spokesperson said.
“These scanned images are reviewed by ICA’s image analysts to identify anomalies. Vehicles showing inconsistencies are then directed for enhanced checks,” the spokesperson added.
The ICA reiterated that safeguarding Singapore’s borders remains one of its top priorities. The agency continues to work closely with partner agencies, including the HSA and Singapore Customs, to curb the inflow of prohibited goods.
E-vaporisers and related products have been banned in Singapore since 2018 under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. The prohibition covers the sale, purchase, possession, and use of such devices.
Offenders caught importing, distributing, or selling e-vaporisers can face fines of up to S$10,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both, for a first offence. Repeat offenders face doubled penalties.
Authorities have warned that e-vaporisers pose serious health and safety risks and that their use undermines public health efforts to reduce smoking and nicotine addiction.
The ICA urged members of the public to report any suspected cases of smuggling or illegal sales of vape products through its feedback channels or by contacting the agency directly.
