FORMER Sarawak State Police Chief Datuk Dr Yusoff Nook has called for a sharper distinction between drug crimes and the legitimate vape industry following reports that investigated the widespread online sales of synthetic drug-laced vape products.
It has been found that illicit vape liquids laced with dangerous substances like methamphetamine, syabu and ketamine were being sold openly on social media and e-commerce platforms outside regulatory reach and entirely separate from licensed retailers.
These products are disguised as flavoured vape – often in colourful packaging that appeals to younger consumers – and are traded via anonymous sellers through private messaging and courier services.
“These are not rogue retailers or irresponsible shop owners. These are organised drug traffickers – sophisticated, transnational and criminal in nature,” revealed Yusoff who was head of the Special Branch’s economic intelligence division.
“They are merely using vape as a new delivery mechanism. But the issue is not with vape – the issue is drugs. At its core, this remains a drug crime and it must be treated as such.”
According to Yusoff, the recent calls for state-level vape bans are misdirected as they do not address the real source of harm.
“These products are not sold by licensed players but are sold online by criminals operating in the shadows,” insisted the former commercial crime head.
“A state ban on vape shops won’t stop this. If anything, it punishes the visible and regulated segment of the market while doing nothing to touch the underground networks.”
Distinguishing narcotics
Yusoff further observed that the legitimate vape industry is now governed under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) which imposes strict requirements including product registration, price approvals and retail licensing.
“Licensed players are complying. They are subject to inspections and oversight,” he justified.
“The ones flooding our streets and social media aren’t part of that system. They’re traffickers. Let’s stop conflating legal vaping with narcotics. This is a criminal abuse of a product, not a failure of regulation or industry.”
Towards this end, Yusoff urged the relevant authorities to act with precision by using tools like the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2001, stronger criminal enforcement, targeted raids and cross-border intelligence sharing to combat these syndicates.
“This is a matter of national security. We should be using every legal weapon available to counter drug networks – not redirecting blame onto products that criminals happen to exploit,” asserted Yusoff who holds a PhD in Economic Crime from Stirling University.
“If we spend time penalising the legal market, we risk giving the illegal market room to grow. The vape industry is not the threat but drug syndicates are. Enforcement – not prohibition – is the only real answer to this threat.” – July 3, 2025
