Man who smuggled cigarettes and vapes into Singapore jailed and fined

SINGAPORE - A man who smuggled vapes and cigarettes into Singapore to sell to his friends was caught red-handed at Woodlands Checkpoint during a check by officers.

Choo Yi Long, 25, was given 14 weeks’ jail and fined $3,000 on Jan 7 after pleading guilty to one count of importing an imitation tobacco product and one of smuggling duty-unpaid cigarettes.

His acts were discovered on Aug 24, 2025, during a check by officers.

They found 171 packets of cigarettes in his bag, 20 packets in his jacket and another nine packets in his motorcycle.

The total weight of the cigarettes came up to 3.3kg, and amounted to $1,964 in evaded tax.

Another 10 disposable vapes were also found on him.

Court records showed that Choo, a Malaysian, worked in Singapore and would commute between Johor Bahru and Singapore daily.

Since he travelled across the border frequently, Choo’s friends began asking him to buy Malaysian cigarettes for them.

After thinking about it, he decided to sell Malaysian cigarettes to his friends for additional income.

Choo would buy the cigarettes from shops near the Malaysian checkpoint and sell them to his friends at $8 a packet, earning a profit of $2 a packet.

He purchased the disposable vapes from a supplier at KSL shopping mall in Johor Bahru and sold them in Singapore for about $9.50 each.

Court records did not state how much he earned from each vape sold.

For importing an imitation tobacco product, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.

Offenders who smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore can be fined at least 15 times the evaded Customs duty, jailed for up to three years, or both.