Malaysia Seizes 300,000 Vapes from China Bound for Singapore
Malaysian Customs officers in Port Klang have intercepted a massive shipment of approximately 300,000 vapes and their components that had arrived from China and are believed to have been destined for Singapore. The discovery on July 30 highlights the sophisticated methods used by smuggling syndicates and underscores Malaysia’s role as a major maritime trafficking hub for illicit goods in Southeast Asia.
According to a source close to the investigation, the containers were declared as containing furniture. However, officers grew suspicious because the cardboard boxes were wrapped in green polythene bags, a known modus operandi for vape smuggling syndicates. The seized e-vaporizers, branded as “Salthub,” lacked the mandatory health warnings required for products sold legally in the Malaysian market. The shipment was arranged through a shipping company with no contact number or website and was addressed to a Malaysian consignee whose registered business address was found to be a private home.
This seizure is part of a larger trend. Earlier in 2025, vapes and vape juice worth RM5 million were confiscated in separate actions in Penang and Selangor. A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report in May warned that criminal syndicates are increasingly using Malaysia, particularly Port Klang, as a major entry and exit point for trafficking drugs and vapes to the region, often avoiding land routes from Thailand.
The incident comes as Singapore dramatically steps up its own enforcement against vaping. From January 2024 to March 2025, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority seized $41 million worth of vapes, a nearly fivefold increase compared to the total seized from 2019 to the end of 2023. Between April and June alone, 19 large-scale smuggling cases were detected at Singapore’s checkpoints, resulting in the seizure of around 90,000 vapes and related products.
Singapore is taking a “whole-of-government” approach to combat vaping, with increased border checks using data analytics and scanners. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has announced that the government will treat vaping as a drug issue, with significantly stiffer penalties effective September 1st. Fines for possession and use will increase, and users of vapes laced with synthetic drugs like etomidate (Kpods) will face mandatory rehabilitation. This intensified crackdown in Singapore is likely to put further pressure on smuggling routes through neighboring countries like Malaysia.
- News source: Boxes from China containing 300,000 vapes believed to be S’pore-bound seized in Port Klang
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