SINGAPORE, Aug 6 — Vape smugglers are getting increasingly creative, with Singapore authorities discovering that e-vaporisers have been concealed in dashboards, wheel wells, undercarriages and even air filter boxes of cars attempting to enter the republic.

According to The Straits Times, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers demonstrated their enhanced inspection methods on August 4 at Woodlands Checkpoint, revealing how vehicles were being specially modified to conceal large quantities of vapes.

During the demonstration, ICA officers used a mock vehicle to show how each crevice and panel was carefully checked. One officer shone a torch under the steering wheel while another tapped the air filter box to detect if it was hollow — a sign of hidden contraband.

The heightened enforcement comes as the ICA recorded a 2.3 per cent increase in smuggling attempts. The agency’s Annual Statistics 2024 report noted 44,000 contraband cases were detected this year, compared to 43,000 in 2023. These included illegal cigarettes and vapes.

In a Facebook post on April 4, the ICA said it had detected 308 cases involving vapes across Singapore’s air, land and sea checkpoints in 2024.

According to the report, vehicles singled out for closer inspection are usually those with nervous-looking occupants or those unusually weighed down despite carrying only a driver, said Checkpoint Inspector 2 Dayangku Suhaila Abdul Aziz.

“For smaller quantities, people tend to be more anxious and would hide the stuff in the car, for example, under the floor mats,” she told the Singapore daily.

“But for syndicates, the way of concealment will be more sophisticated. The cars will be modified to conceal the contraband.”

In recent cases, ICA discovered vapes hidden in a car’s spare tyre well, inside the cabin of a prime mover, and in delivery vans disguised among foodstuff.

From January 2024 to March 2025, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority seized S$41 million (RM144 million) worth of vapes — nearly five times the total seized between 2019 and 2023.

Lorries and buses entering Singapore must pass through a Radiographic Scanning Portal. If image analysts detect anomalies, officers will carry out enhanced checks.

Cars and motorcycles can also be scanned using mobile X-ray machines, said Inspector Dayangku, the report stated. 

On July 24, ICA found more than 5,900 units of e-vaporisers in a Malaysia-registered car at Woodlands Checkpoint. A further 2,400 units were seized from a lorry entering Tuas Checkpoint on July 29.

In a Facebook post on August 5, ICA said checks on the car at Woodlands also uncovered related vape components and 150 cartons of heatsticks hidden under passenger seats, inside the boot side panels and even the car bonnet.

Singapore has banned e-vaporisers since 2018.