THE Dayak Transformation Association (TRADA), a youth and community advocacy group, is voicing its full support for enforcement agencies to tackle the illegal cigarette trade in Malaysia by calling for stronger policy tools and public information measures to complement the efforts already being made on the ground.
This follows a string of recent enforcement actions in East Malaysia which has among the highest illicit cigarettes incidences rate in the country – at 74.8% in Sarawak and 75.9% in Sabah, according to the Nielsen IQ ICS May report.
In August, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and Indonesia’s Directorate General of Customs and Excise which launched joint border operations in Sabah seized smuggled cigarettes in Tawau after arresting two men believed to be masterminds of a cross-border smuggling network.
Additionally, the General Operations Force (GOF) detained 21 individuals and seized goods worth more than RM3 mil in Lahad Datu across 16 raids, including a case where its Intelligence Division intercepted a car carrying smuggled cigarettes.
In June, raids by the Customs Department on abandoned houses in Sibu uncovered 490,000 cigarette sticks worth RM1.21 mil while in Sandakan, a council enforcement officer was beaten by illegal sellers at a public market in March this year, a stark reminder of the risks these officers face on the ground.
‘Release MOH’s legal ciggie brands’
“When our enforcement officers are physically attacked for doing their duty, this tells us how embedded this trade has become,” lamented TRADA president and founder Joseph Janting.
Our enforcement officers continue to enforce the law despite this, hence they deserve our respect and our full backing.
They’re active, they’re taking action, and they need the right support to see results that last despite the national illicit rate climbing from 54.4% in 2025 to 56.2% in May 2026. TRADA stands with them.
A nationwide consumer perception survey by Wawasanex found that 99% of respondents described illegal cigarettes as easy or very easy to obtain with 83.8% reporting purchases at kedai runcit (sundry shops) and Kedai Aceh (sundry shops operate by Indonesians).
With the data confirming the scale of the challenge facing enforcement agencies across East Malaysia, Joseph stressed that the numbers “tell us is that the challenge is bigger than any one agency can resolve alone”.
As such, TRADA is calling on all relevant parties to give our enforcement officers the tools, the policy support and the information resources they need to finish the job.”
Among the measures TRADA is calling for is the public release of the Health Ministry’s (MOH) registry of legally registered cigarette brands maintained under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.
An accessible public registry would give enforcement officers, retailers and consumers a common official reference and close a gap that is currently being exploited.
“One practical step that costs very little is making the MOH’s registry of legal cigarette brands publicly accessible,” asserted Joseph.
“Our enforcement agencies, our retailers and our communities deserve a clear, official reference. We’re asking MOH to release this list progressively as products are approved. It’s a tool that supports everyone doing the right thing.” – Aug 20, 2026
