The driver of a Singapore-registered vehicle faces a US$252,600 fine, jail or both if he is found guilty of pumping subsidised RON95 petrol
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 6:55pm, 13 Apr 2026The driver of a Singapore-registered car has been arrested in Johor for allegedly pumping subsidised Malaysian petrol, triggering a wave of approval online from Malaysians as the government widens a border crackdown driven by rising fuel costs and fears of subsidy abuse amid a global energy shock.The arrest comes after months of viral shaming posts showing Singapore-registered vehicles allegedly filling up with RON95 in neighbouring Johor, fuelling public anger over the abuse of a subsidy meant for Malaysians.
According to Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Mohd Ali earlier this year, Malaysians driving Singapore-registered vehicles are also barred from buying subsidised RON95, as the restriction applies to foreign-registered vehicles regardless of the driver’s nationality.
Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah had earlier urged the government to blacklist offending foreign vehicles, while Armizan Mohd Ali said tougher rules taking effect on April 1 would allow action not only against petrol station operators but also against buyers, drivers and owners of foreign-registered vehicles.
In the latest case last week, a man, reported to be in his 50s, was detained during an enforcement operation at a petrol station in Johor Bahru at about 10pm on Thursday, in what appears to be the first arrest in the southern state since the tougher rules took effect.
Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Director Lilis Saslinda Pornomo said officers found that “a Singapore-registered vehicle was refuelling RON95 petrol into its tank” before stopping the transaction, seizing the Honda Civic involved, CCTV recordings, the purchase receipt and other documents.
