Top Takeaways:
- 300,000 vapes seized in Malaysia
- Port Klang flagged as trafficking hub
- Singapore ramps up anti-vape crackdown
Malaysian Customs has seized about 300,000 illicit vaping devices at Port Klang, a haul investigators say was bound for Singapore’s black market as the city-state intensifies its crackdown on e-cigarettes.
The containers, shipped from China and declared as furniture, were opened on July 30. Inside, officers discovered boxes wrapped in green polythene bags, a packaging method long linked to regional smuggling syndicates. The devices, branded “Salthub,” carried no health warnings required under Malaysian law. Officials believe smugglers intended to move the vapes by road across the border into Singapore, where demand has grown despite an outright ban.
A source familiar with the case told The Straits Times that “several online platforms” in Singapore have been promoting the brand, underscoring how digital channels are driving underground sales.
The seizure highlights Port Klang’s role as a trafficking hub in Southeast Asia. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has warned that Malaysia’s busiest port has become a key transit point for illicit products, from narcotics to e-vaporisers.
In early 2025, customs officers intercepted nearly 72,000 devices and more than 780 liters of vape liquid in containers falsely declared as plastic goods. Other high-profile cases in recent years have uncovered methamphetamine, ecstasy and cocaine hidden in industrial shipments.
The discovery comes as Singapore has dramatically stepped up enforcement. Between January 2024 and March 2025, the Health Sciences Authority confiscated S$41 million (US$31.6 million) worth of e-vaporisers, nearly five times the total seized from 2019 to 2023.
In the second quarter of this year alone, 19 major smuggling cases were detected at air, land and sea checkpoints. Authorities have expanded border patrols and deployed data analytics, scanners and handheld devices to uncover contraband.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong underscored the government’s position in his National Day Rally speech on Aug. 17, vowing to treat vaping “as a drug issue” and promising stiffer penalties. From Sept. 1, fines for possession were increased to S$500 for those under 18 and S$700 for adults.
Repeat offenders may be ordered into rehabilitation, while sellers of vapes laced with synthetic drugs such as etomidate face prosecution under the Misuse of Drugs Act, which carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison and caning.
For regulators across the region, the Port Klang seizure is the latest sign of how smuggling syndicates are adapting to persistent demand in Singapore’s underground market. It also reflects the growing scale of enforcement on both sides of the border, as authorities confront what has become one of Southeast Asia’s most resilient illicit trades.
