The Malaysia E-Vaporizers and Tobacco Alternative Association (MEVTA) boasted that numerous “operations and raids” conducted by authorities over the last several weeks at vape retailers across the country found no drugs, hazardous substances, or prohibited products. “In most reported cases, actions were primarily focused on administrative and documentation compliance, while licensed and registered premises were found to have fully cooperated with authorities throughout the inspection process,” MEVTA said.
MEVTA President Mohamad Neezam Talib urged vape and tobacco alternative businesses to continue obtaining proper licenses and comply fully with Malaysian regulations, saying this is essential for consumer safety and industry accountability.
Malaysia’s long-running battle against illicit cigarettes is often framed as an enforcement challenge. Each major seizure reinforces the perception that the problem is being actively contained. New border controls and tougher crackdowns signal resolve.
If this is true, why do illicit cigarettes continue to occupy a significant share of the domestic market? By most estimates, the illicit cigarette trade now costs Malaysia up to RM5 billion ($1.3 billion) annually in lost revenue. This persistence raises an uncomfortable but necessary question: if enforcement has been consistently strengthened, why does the shadow market remain so resilient?
This is not a criticism of enforcement agencies. Malaysia’s customs and security authorities have demonstrated sustained operational commitment, with regular seizures and increasingly targeted interdiction strategies. But enforcement outcomes should ultimately be assessed not by the value of contraband seized, but by whether demand for illegal products is meaningfully reduced over time. If demand remains intact, supply will inevitably find new routes.
Here lies the policy blind spot.
Illicit markets persist when economic incentives favour non-compliance. In the case of cigarettes, a wide and enduring price gap between legal and illegal products continues to shape consumer behaviour. When the legal product becomes significantly less affordable relative illicit alternatives, price-sensitive consumers are pushed toward the illegal market. As long as illegal cigarettes remain readily available at a fraction of the price,enforcement alone cannot fundamentally alter consumption patterns.
International experience reinforces this reality. In Australia, former deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth has warned that the scale of illicit cigarette consumption reflects a policy failure that enforcement alone cannot contain, noting how organised crime has stepped in to meet demand created by market distortions. Independent estimates indicate that illicit tobacco consumption accounted for 28.6 % of total tobacco use in Australia in 2023, a significant increase from earlier years and suggestive of a market that organised criminal networks have moved into as legal prices rise.
The lesson is consistent. When regulation focuses primarily on supply suppression without addressing demand-side dynamics, illicit trade does not disappear. Instead, it becomes more resilient. Risks are priced in, enforcement losses are absorbed, and the market survives because consumer demand remains unchanged.
This highlights a broader policy challenge. Enforcement is essential, but it cannot operate in isolation. When the economic logic of illicit consumption remains unaddressed, enforcement risks becoming reactive rather than corrective — capable of disruption, but not resolution.
None of this suggests that enforcement should be weakened. Strong borders, inter-agency coordination and technology-enabled surveillance remain critical. But enforcement must be complemented by a broader policy conversation that considers regulatory calibration, consumer behaviour and market realities. This includes reassessing whether current tax and pricing structures unintentionally incentivise illegal substitution.
Illicit cigarettes should therefore be recognised not merely as a law enforcement issue, but as a structural policy challenge at the intersection of regulation, taxation and consumer behaviour. Until this is acknowledged, the shadow market will continue to adapt, quietly imposing costs on public revenue and market integrity.
Good policy does not rely solely on punishment. It reduces the incentive to bypass the system in the first place. That is the conversation Malaysia now needs to have.
A Philip Morris executive is urging Malaysia to adopt a harm-reduction approach to nicotine policy rather than banning vapes and e-cigarettes, citing Japan as a model. Naeem Shahab Khan, managing director of Philip Morris Malaysia and Singapore, called Japan’s framework a “pragmatic harm-reduction pathway,” noting the country legally allows heated tobacco products and applies product-specific tax rates. He said Japanese data show cigarette sales fell by about 52% from 2011 to 2023 as smokers shifted to alternatives, arguing that adult nicotine users should have “an equal opportunity to know what is less risky.” Khan warned that “unrealistic” bans could fuel illicit markets, adding that illegal cigarettes already account for about 55% of Malaysia’s sales.
Cigarette smuggling continues to rank among the most serious economic threats facing Malaysia, with the illicit cigarette market estimated to be worth up to RM5 billion ($1.3 billion) annually, underscoring the scale of the shadow economy that remains deeply entrenched in the system.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has reported that Malaysia lost approximately RM1.4 billion ($350 million) in unpaid taxes over the past five years, partly due to cigarette smuggling activities. According to MOF data, unpaid duties linked to illicit cigarettes were recorded as follows:
** Jan-Sep 2025
These figures not only reflect significant revenue leakage but also point to the presence of well-organized and resilient smuggling networks capable of adapting to escalating enforcement pressure.
According to security and defense analyst Zaki Salleh, the illicit cigarette problem should be viewed as a strategic threat to national economic security, rather than merely a border enforcement issue.
“National borders are not just geographical lines. They are the frontline of economic defense. As long as weaknesses exist at the borders, the shadow economy will continue to thrive,” he said.
Zaki noted that enforcement efforts by agencies such as the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) remain critical and deserve recognition. In 2025 alone, JKDM successfully foiled 2,742 attempted cigarette smuggling cases, reflecting a high level of operational intensity and commitment.
However, he stressed that enforcement effectiveness must be assessed against overall market outcomes, not just operational activity.
“These efforts deserve praise, but they remain small when measured against the size of Malaysia’s illicit cigarette market. Without more comprehensive coordination, the impact is unlikely to be sustainable,” he said.
Zaki added that border control approaches can no longer rely solely on conventional methods, as smuggling syndicates have become increasingly sophisticated and operate in a highly coordinated manner.
“Today’s smugglers use technology, modern logistics systems and alternative routes to avoid detection. Their operations span land and waterways, including areas that are difficult to monitor physically,” he said.
Beyond enforcement, Zaki pointed to structural market factors as the core challenge. The significant price gap between legal and illegal cigarettes continues to sustain demand among both consumers and retailers.
“This price difference creates strong economic incentives for illicit cigarettes to keep circulating, especially in a challenging cost-of-living environment. Under such conditions, enforcement alone becomes increasingly difficult to curb demand comprehensively,” he said.
As long as demand remains unaddressed, he cautioned, the shadow market will continue to adapt even as enforcement is intensified.
In this context, Zaki said the government needs to explore broader policy reforms aimed at narrowing the demand gap for illicit cigarettes. He noted that the existing policy framework should be objectively evaluated to ensure a better balance between public health objectives, revenue collection and market realities.
At the same time, he emphasized the importance of fully operationalizing the Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) as the central coordinating body for border control, to reduce overlaps and improve inter-agency efficiency.
In addition to coordination, Zaki highlighted the need for more aggressive deployment of technology, including drones, infrared sensors, AI-enabled smart cameras and GPS-based vehicle tracking systems, to strengthen detection capabilities and close persistent border vulnerabilities.
Without a consistent and integrated approach, he warned, the illicit cigarette market will continue to erode national tax revenues and weaken Malaysia’s economic resilience over the long term.
Malaysia’s Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad touted the nation’s highly discussed vape ban as being “almost here,” and said the ban will be done in stages, initially focusing on open systems. “We face challenges, but we still hope to implement the ban,” he said. “Many compounding factors are at play. But our team of experts is here to work on it.”
Reports indicate that the ban is expected to be implemented in mid-2026.
The Malaysia Retail Electronic Cigarette Association (MRECA) has criticized what it sees as an unbalanced regulatory focus on vaping, while conventional cigarettes—long linked to greater health risks—continue to be sold with limited enforcement. MRECA president Datuk Adzwan Ab Manas said public health policy should be fair and evidence-based, noting that vape products are regulated under the same legal framework as cigarettes through Act 852 and that the industry has invested heavily to meet government compliance requirements.
He warned that sweeping bans or excessive restrictions on vaping could drive users back to combustible cigarettes or illicit markets, undermining health goals and harming legitimate businesses. MRECA urged the government to pursue balanced regulation, strengthen enforcement against cigarette misuse, engage in open dialogue with industry, and focus on realistic public health outcomes rather than symbolic prohibitions.
British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd redesignated Datuk Sri Mohd Nizom Sairi as chairman of the board, effective January 1, 2026. He succeeds Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat, who will step down on December 31, after completing the maximum nine-year tenure as an independent non-executive director under the group’s governance rules.
Mohd Nizom was appointed as an independent non-executive director of BAT Malaysia on October 1. He previously spent 38 years with the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, serving as CEO and director general from 2021 until his retirement from public service in December 2023. He currently serves as independent non-executive chairman of Varia Bhd and as an independent non-executive director of Jati Tinggi Group Bhd.
A day after claims that a former health minister was offered RM50 million ($12.5 million) to drop the generational endgame (GEG) provision from a tobacco control bill, the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) has called for an independent public inquiry into alleged tobacco industry interference in national legislation. The alleged bribe, offered and rejected by Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, has raised concerns over public sector integrity and the rule of law.
MCTC president Prof. Dr. Murallitharan Munisamy said any attempt to influence legislation through financial inducements constitutes a serious criminal offence, adding that failure to report an attempted bribe may also breach the law. The council said the allegations reinforce earlier admissions that tobacco and vape industry lobbying influenced the removal of the GEG provision from the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.
Calling the issue a matter of national integrity and public interest, MCTC urged authorities, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, to launch a transparent inquiry into the alleged offer and broader industry influence. The group also renewed calls for stronger safeguards against tobacco industry interference, including a political financing law and a binding code of conduct aligned with WHO tobacco control standards.
Malaysia’s tobacco and vape policy debate resurfaced after a senior PKR figure alleged that tobacco companies offered a RM50 million bribe to drop the proposed generational endgame (GEG) ban on tobacco and vape sales to future generations. According to Malaysia Now, Sivamalar Genapathy, a PKR deputy secretary-general and former aide to ex-health minister Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, claimed the offer was rejected, but confirmed no report was made to anti-corruption authorities—raising legal and political questions under Malaysia’s MACC Act, as not reporting a bribe is an offense punishable by a fine and up to 10 years in prison.
The allegations revive scrutiny of the government’s earlier decision to abandon the GEG provision in the Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill, a move criticized by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and public health groups as capitulating to industry interests. The episode adds renewed pressure on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, highlighting ongoing tensions between public health objectives, regulatory decisions on vaping and nicotine, and the influence of tobacco industry lobbying in Malaysia.
Malaysia is moving toward a nationwide ban on vaping, with the Health Ministry aiming to finalize and implement the policy by the end of 2026, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad said. He said the Cabinet has already agreed in principle to ban vape products, stressing that the issue is no longer whether vaping will be banned, but when. The ministry is expected to bring the matter back to the Cabinet early next year to complete regulatory and legislative processes.
Dzulkefly cited growing public health concerns, particularly cases of drug-induced psychosis linked to adulterated vape liquids and synthetic substances. He said such cases are being monitored by a special Health Ministry task group in collaboration with medical experts.
