Duty-unpaid cigarettes found hidden in bread at Woodlands Checkpoint, M’sian man arrested

8 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes found hidden in bread at Woodlands Checkpoint

Authorities arrested a Malaysian man on 7 April after they found duty-unpaid cigarettes in a loaf of bread in his possession.

Officers uncovered contraband items in his motorcycle at Woodlands Checkpoint, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (14 April).

Motorcycle directed for further checks at Woodlands Checkpoint

On that day, the man was attempting to enter Singapore using a Malaysia-registered motorcycle, ICA said.

However, ICA officers directed him to undergo further checks.

During the inspection, they noticed a loaf of bread in the vehicle’s centre basket.

Packets of cigarettes sandwiched between slices of bread

Officers uncovered multiple packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed within the bread.

ICA Search & Examination officers eventually retrieved eight packets in total from the loaf.

According to an ICA photo, they were sandwiched between individual slices.

Man arrested for alleged attempted smuggling

Authorities arrested a 49-year-old Malaysian man for allegedly attempting to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore.

The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.

ICA had previously said that border security is “a crucial aspect” of Singapore’s anti-vape enforcement strategy, adding:

As guardians of our borders, ICA is committed to facilitating trade & travel while keeping Singapore’s borders safe & secure.

Offence to import duty-unpaid cigarettes

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.

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

Authorities foiled 57,400 such cases 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 traveller declares 10 cartons of cigarettes at Changi Airport, ICA finds 218 cartons