KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s enforcement agencies have demonstrated strong commitment and professionalism in tackling the illicit cigarette trade, but enforcement alone has not been sufficient to significantly reduce the scale of the illegal market.
“Our enforcement agencies have been doing their job. The increase in seizures, intelligence-led operations, and entry-point actions by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department demonstrates determination and capability.
“This must be acknowledged,” Datuk Dr Yusoff Nook, a former police chief of Sarawak, qualified lawyer, and expert in economic crime control, said.
His comments follow recent reports highlighting continued high-value seizures of illicit cigarettes and contraband across multiple states, even as enforcement budgets, border controls and inter-agency coordination have been strengthened in recent months.
He noted that while enforcement intensity has increased, the illicit cigarette market remains stubbornly resilient, suggesting that the challenge extends beyond policing and border control alone.
“When enforcement intensifies, we expect the illegal market to contract. Instead, what we are seeing is persistence and adaptation. That tells us the issue is not simply about enforcement capacity,” he said.
Drawing on his experience in commercial crime investigations, economic intelligence, and legal practices, Dr Yusoff says organised illicit trade adapts quickly to enforcement pressure by adjusting logistics, routes, and distribution networks.
However, he stressed that supply-side action alone cannot address demand that persists at the consumer level.
“As long as illegal products remain widely accessible and are perceived by consumers as more affordable alternatives, enforcement agencies will always be placed in a reactive position.
“This is not a failure of enforcement but a reflection of behavioural and market realities that must also be addressed,” he said.
He cautioned against placing the burden of outcomes solely on enforcement agencies, noting that officers often operate under difficult conditions while confronting highly adaptive criminal syndicates.
“The needle has barely moved. That should prompt a more honest assessment of whether we are addressing the full ecosystem, including consumption habits, that allows illicit trade to thrive,” he said.
Dr Yusoff calls for a more integrated national response that complements enforcement with policies that influence consumer behaviour and narrow the economic space in which illicit trade operates.
“If success continues to be measured only by seizure figures, we risk mistaking activity for impact.
“The real measure of success is whether the illegal market is shrinking. On that front, there is still much work to be done,” he added.
