29.10.2026 11:01
A married couple who wanted to go from Malaysia to Singapore for a vacation was stopped at the border gate due to the driver's suspicious behavior. During a search of the luxury vehicle, cash hidden in boxes and bags, equivalent to approximately 36 million Turkish lira, was seized. An investigation was launched into the businessman couple, aged 41 and 42, who were determined not to have declared the money.
A married couple who wanted to travel from Malaysia to Singapore on vacation were caught during a check at the border crossing. In the luxury vehicle stopped due to the driver's suspicious behavior, cash worth approximately 3 million Malaysian ringgit, hidden in boxes, a paper bag, and a backpack, was seized. The money, determined not to have been declared, was confiscated, and an investigation was launched into the couple.
THE DRIVER'S BEHAVIOR RAISED SUSPICION
The incident occurred on October 27 at the Sultan Iskandar Border Checkpoint in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Officials from the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) stopped the Toyota Alphard vehicle attempting to cross into Singapore because of the driver's suspicious behavior. It was decided to conduct a detailed search of the vehicle, in which the businessperson couple, reported to be aged 41 and 42, were traveling.
A FORTUNE CAME OUT OF THE BOXES AND BAGS
During the search carried out by three officers, the vehicle's trunk and passenger area were checked. The teams found a large amount of cash inside three boxes, a paper bag, and a black backpack.
In the count, 1,971,697 Malaysian ringgit and 300,000 Singapore dollars were seized. The total value of the money was stated to be approximately 3 million Malaysian ringgit, that is, 918,000 Singapore dollars.
“WE ARE GOING ON VACATION,” THEY SAID
In response to the officers' questions, the couple said they were traveling to Singapore for vacation. However, it was determined that the large amount of cash in the vehicle had not been declared before the border crossing.
Thereupon, the couple were handed over to the Malaysian Customs Department together with the seized money and the vehicle. The investigation into the incident was reported to be ongoing.
CASH EXCEEDING US$10,000 MUST BE DECLARED
In Malaysia, on entry to and exit from the country, cash and certain monetary instruments exceeding US$10,000 must be declared to the authorities. Whether the couple, who tried to take cash worth approximately 3 million ringgit to Singapore without declaring it, violated this obligation is being examined as part of the investigation.
ABOUT 36 MILLION TL WAS FOUND IN THE VEHICLE
The Turkish lira equivalent of the seized money also drew attention. According to a calculation using approximate exchange rates dated October 29, 2026, the value of the 1,971,697 Malaysian ringgit found in the vehicle was calculated as 24.2 million TL, and the value of the 300,000 Singapore dollars as 11.7 million TL. Thus, the total value of the cash the couple tried to carry in the vehicle without declaring was determined to be approximately 35.9 million TL.