Syndicates hiring young people in Johor to smuggle vapes into Singapore

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Haz (not his real name) from Johor Bahru, who is in his early 20s, was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint for allegedly trying to smuggle vapes into Singapore.

ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA

SINGAPORE - The two young men from Johor Bahru were broke, so when an acquaintance offered them RM1,000 (S$305) to transport boxes of “betel leaves” using a rental car to Singapore, they agreed.

The men, who are in their early 20s, made one successful run at midnight. But they were stopped at Woodlands Checkpoint on their second run hours later.

Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) found more than 300 packs of vapes and related items in the boxes, not betel leaves.

The men – Haz and Amin (not their real names) – claim they had no clue they were transporting vapes.

The so-called easy job, which was to take one day, has turned into a months-long ordeal, with the men’s passports held during investigations in Singapore.

Both men, who are out on bail in Singapore, do not want their real identities published for fear of reprisals.

They showed The Straits Times documents from the authorities to confirm their arrest.

Vape syndicates operating in the state of Johor have employed different tactics to deliver their products to customers in Singapore, with smugglers using land routes and goods hidden in cargo in trailers, vans, motorcycles and cars.

Checks by ST showed that more than 15,000 vapes and related components were seized at the land crossings in June and July