S'porean man driving Honda Civic 1st to be arrested in JB for allegedly pumping RON95 fuel since Apr. 1 ban for foreign vehicles

A Singaporean man in his 50s has become the first person to be arrested in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, after the enforcement of a ban on the purchase of RON95 petrol by foreign-registered vehicles came into effect on Apr. 1, 2026.

The man was detained during an enforcement operation at a petrol station about 10pm on Apr. 9, New Straits Times reported.

CCTV footage

This comes after "observations found that a Singapore-registered vehicle was refuelling RON95 petrol into its tank," said Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Lilis Saslinda Pornomo in an Apr. 10 statement.

"Acting on the information and observation, enforcement officers detained the driver from continuing to refuel RON95 petrol," she said.

After further checks were carried out, including reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the station, purchase receipts, and recording statements from station employees, preliminary investigations confirmed that the transaction involved RON95 petrol.

Case being investigated

She added: "Following this, Johor KPDN seized the vehicle, CCTV recordings, copies of the purchase receipt and related documents.

"The suspect, a man believed to be the driver and owner of a Honda Civic, was also detained to assist investigations."

She noted the case was being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 for the offence of purchasing controlled goods, namely RON95 petrol, using a foreign-registered vehicle, New Straits Times reported.

"Johor KPDN remains committed to strengthening enforcement activities to curb any form of leakage involving controlled goods, particularly RON95 petrol, to ensure government subsidies benefit Malaysians," she said.

Penalties

CNA reported that under rules effective Apr. 1, authorities can take action against both the owner of a foreign-registered vehicle and the petrol station operator.

Prior to this, only petrol station operators were penalised for selling subsidised fuel to foreign-registered vehicles.

If convicted, the man faces a fine of up to RM1 million (around S$322,400), up to three years' jail, or both, according to local media.

Repeat offenders face fines of up to RM3 million (S$967,220), up to five years' jail, or both.

For companies, fines can hit RM2 million (S$644,815) and go up to RM5 million (S$1.6 million) for subsequent offences.

Top photo via Malaysian media