3 Chinese travellers arrested after duty‑unpaid cigarettes found in their luggage at Changi Airport

Chinese travellers said they had nothing to declare but duty‑unpaid cigarettes were found in their luggage

Three young Chinese travellers have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle duty‑unpaid cigarettes into Singapore.

In a Facebook post on 6 March, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said more than 300 cartons were found hidden in their luggage at Changi Airport.

Chinese trio ‘behaving suspiciously’ after collecting luggage

The incident took place on 27 Feb at Changi Airport Terminal 1, ICA said.

The young men had collected their baggage from the airport luggage conveyor belt, but ICA baggage officers observed that they were “behaving suspiciously”.

When they passed through the Green Channel — meant for travellers with nothing to declare — they were thus profiled for screening of their baggage.

Chinese trio say nothing to declare, duty‑unpaid cigarettes found

Before the screening, the trio were asked whether they had any items to declare.

They replied that they had nothing to declare and went ahead with the screening.

More than 300 cartons of duty‑unpaid cigarettes were subsequently found hidden in their luggage by ICA’s search and examination officers.

Men arrested, referred to S’pore Customs

The Chinese men, aged 23, 21 and 20, were arrested in connection with the case.

The trio, as well as the case exhibits, were handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigation.

Under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing, or dealing in duty-unpaid cigarettes are serious offences.

According to Singapore Customs, those convicted of offences involving duty-unpaid goods can be fined up to 40 times the amount of tax evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.

ICA said it “remains committed” to facilitating trade and travel while keeping Singapore’s borders safe and secure.

30.6% increase in contraband smuggling attempts in 2025

Last month, ICA noted a significant increase in contraband smuggling attempts in its Annual Statistics for 2025.

There were 57,400 such cases foiled last year, a 30.6% jump from the 43,900 in 2024.

Several cases involved the smuggling of contraband cigarettes in cars with modified compartments or concealed among other goods in lorries, it added.

Also read: Chinese national conspired to sell duty-unpaid liquor from China in S’pore, fined S$200K

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Featured image adapted from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on TikTok.