Singapore Sentences Malaysian Lorry Driver to 27 Weeks Over Cross-Border Vape Smuggling

Key Highlights

• Caught twice at Tuas Checkpoint for smuggling and later attempting illegal exit.
• Seized items: 4,780 vapes and 9,690 components worth thousands of dollars.
• Financial motive: Accepted RM4,000 (S$1,200) per delivery from syndicate members.
• Sentence: 27 weeks’ jail; judge cited cross-border criminal elements.
• Legal penalties: Up to six months’ jail and S$10,000 fine per vape charge.

2Firsts, November 4, 2025 — A Malaysian lorry driver who tried to smuggle more than 14,000 vapes and components into Singapore and later attempted to flee by hiding in another vehicle was jailed 27 weeks on Monday.

Mohammad Fakaruddin Mohd Rosli, 32, pleaded guilty to one count each of attempting to leave Singapore without a passport and smuggling vaping products.

He was caught at Tuas Checkpoint on June 9, 2025, when ICA officers found 4,780 vapes and 9,690 vape components hidden in his lorry. His passport was impounded, but three days later, he was discovered hiding in another lorry’s cargo compartment while trying to return to Malaysia illegally.

Investigations revealed Fakaruddin, facing financial difficulties, had borrowed from moneylenders and later contacted two syndicate members known as “Raj” and “Boy,” who paid him RM4,000 (S$1,200) per smuggling job.

During mitigation, Fakaruddin pleaded for leniency, citing his infant son’s heart condition. However, District Judge Terence Tay noted the case’s transnational nature and the accused’s active participation in organised smuggling.

Prosecutors said this was the first vape-smuggling case heard since May, when similar cases were paused pending revised sentencing guidelines from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Under Singapore law, attempting to leave the country illegally carries up to six months’ jail and a S$2,000 fine, while each vape smuggling offence carries up to six months’ jail and a S$10,000 fine.

Source: The Straits Times