M'sian private hire driver, 31, imported 1,100 vaporisers into S'pore, gets 14 weeks' jail

A 31-year-old Malaysian private-hire driver who imported 1,100 disposable vaporisers worth over S$23,000 into Singapore was sentenced on Apr. 22, 2026, to 14 weeks' jail after he pleaded guilty.

Suntharathasan Kanathasan had learned through a passenger of a job which could earn him up to RM10,000 (S$3,200) a month, The Straits Times reported.

However, it involved transporting disposable vaporisers from Malaysia to Singapore.

Suntharathasan accepted the offer and managed to earn RM2,000 (around S$640) from smuggling the vape-related devices on two occasions.

Passenger

According to ST, Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prosecutor Debra Ann Tan told the court that Suntharathasan picked up a passenger in mid-January 2026, who introduced him to one "David Roy" on Facebook.

After chatting with this person and being told that he could earn RM1,000 (S$320) a trip, Suntharathasan accepted the job.

Plan

ST cited the HSA prosecutor as saying the arrangement was for the accused to park his vehicle at a Shell petrol station in Johor. The accused would hand over the keys to the cashier.

The accused was then to return the following day to collect the vehicle, "which would have been loaded with the goods."

Suntharathasan was told to enter Woodlands Checkpoint before 6:30am as part of the plan, as this was a "busy time" for the authorities.

He would then drive to a carpark in Woodlands and leave the vehicle there for an unknown person to retrieve the disposable vaporisers.

Caught

He was caught on his third attempt.

Charge sheets seen by Mothership stated that at about 5:20am on Jan. 27, 2026, Suntharathasan drove from Malaysia to Woodlands Checkpoint.

He was then caught after officers checked the boot of his vehicle and found the disposable vaporisers, ST reported, adding that he was charged in a Singapore district court soon after.

Top photos via Mothership, Canva