SINGAPORE: A baby stroller usually carries bottles, snacks, and toys. But ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint recently found one packed with something very different: e-vaporisers.
On a Facebook post published yesterday (Sept 12), the ICA reported that on September 9, 2025, a Singaporean man driving a local-registered car tried his luck at the checkpoint. When asked if he had anything to declare, he replied in the negative. That confidence didn’t last long. ICA officers, who had profiled his vehicle for enhanced checks, soon uncovered two e-vaporisers tucked neatly into the stroller’s compartments, plus another hidden in his bag. The man was fined $700.
The case shows two things. First, smugglers are getting creative, and sometimes downright absurd, in where they try to stash their contraband. Second, ICA doesn’t play favourites. Being Singaporean doesn’t earn anyone a free pass. When it comes to e-vaporisers, the rules apply to everyone, no exceptions.
Read related: ICA foils two e-vaporiser smuggling attempts at Changi Airport T4 in a single day
Netizens weigh in
Online, the stroller stunt sparked plenty of reactions, from calls for harsher punishment to outright jokes.
“Next time, put a mandatory jail term and impound the vehicle. Pretty sure it will lower the smuggling rate,” one user said, reflecting the growing impatience with smugglers who seem undeterred by fines. It’s a serious point, though delivered with the kind of frustration that suggests the public is running out of patience.
Others had praise for ICA’s sharp instincts. “The officer must have been good at spotting smugglers with smart questioning,” one commenter on Facebook noted, while another added, “ICA officers are adept at catching unusual body language. Well done!” Clearly, many netizens felt this was a win for vigilance.
But the internet wouldn’t be the internet without humour. One cheeky comment read: “Maybe it was the baby trying to smuggle; wait till he or she learns to speak, then interrogate.” It’s a joke, of course, but it also shows how bizarre the case seemed to the public. After all, who hides e-vaporisers in a stroller?
The bigger picture
Funny as it may sound, the incident points to a serious reality: smugglers will try almost anything, even turning baby gear into contraband storage. For ICA, the message is simple. Whether you hide it in your bag, under your seat, or in a stroller, officers will find it. When they do, fines or something worse will follow.
So yes, this one gave netizens a laugh. But it also reminded everyone of the very serious work ICA does every day: keeping Singapore’s borders secure, one stroller at a time.
