Finding hidden vapes: Inside ICA's mission to uncover contraband at land checkpoints

Vape smugglers driving through Singapore's land checkpoints have concealed e-vaporisers in a car's dashboard, undercarriage, wheel wells and even in an air filter box.

- Zaihan Mohamed Yusof Senior Correspondent and Andrew Wong

These vehicles are specially modified so they can hide larger quantities of vapes, which have been banned in Singapore since 2018.

The modus operandi was disclosed to The Straits Times by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Aug 4 when they gave ST a demonstration of an enhanced inspection at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Using a demo car, ICA officers probed every panel and crevice while the search and examination group leader, Dayangku Suhaila Abdul Aziz, explained what was being examined.

One officer with a torchlight went under the steering wheel to check if anything was hidden behind the steering column.

Another officer tapped the car's air filter box to determine if it was hollow.

The stepped-up enforcement comes in the wake of a 2.3 per cent increase in foiled contraband smuggling attempts, as reported in the ICA Annual Statistics 2024.

In 2023, there were 43,000 contraband cases detected as compared to 44,000 in 2024. These cases included contraband cigarettes and vapes.

In an April 4 post on Facebook, ICA said it detected a total of 308 cases involving vapes at Singapore's air, land and sea checkpoints in 2024.

Vehicles that require closer inspections are usually those that have nervous-looking drivers or passengers, or vehicles that appear to be heavily loaded despite having only a driver.