ICA foils duty-unpaid cigarette smuggling attempt at Woodlands Checkpoint on 15 Nov
An attempt to smuggle thousands of duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore was stopped at Woodlands Checkpoint earlier this month。
In a Facebook post on Thursday (27 Nov), the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said officers intercepted the Malaysia-registered car on 15 Nov.
Upon inspection, officers uncovered over 4,400 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes, tucked away inside several modified compartments.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
Contraband concealed within various compartments in car
A video posted on Facebook showed the contraband spilling out as an ICA dismantled the car’s bumper.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
The duty-unpaid cigarettes were also found in car door panels.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
A 33-year-old Malaysian male driver subsequently was arrested in relation to the case.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
The suspect and exhibits were later handed to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
At least 2 other smuggling cases on 15 Nov
The post follows two other smuggling cases reported on the same day (15 Nov), also involving Malaysia-registered vehicles. ICA reported these cases earlier on 24 November, describing the separate cases as “day and night”.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
In the first case, ICA’s Integrated Targeting Centre (ITC) flagged a van for further checks at about 8.40am.
Officers found more than 1,600 e-vapourisers (vapes) hidden inside boxes of electrical appliances and wires. More devices were stashed behind door panels.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
Later that evening, at about 7.50pm, another team discovered 1,000 vapes concealed beneath groceries in a separate car.
Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook
ICA arrested two Malaysian men, aged 19 and 21, in relation to the two cases.
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Featured image adapted from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Facebook.
