Those unfamiliar with driving across the Causeway might understandably get confused over the different roads and lanes at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
However, once you’re there you may expect to be thoroughly checked by officers whose job is to safeguard our borders.
This applies even if you’ve purportedly made a wrong turn, as one Singaporean man found out.
Source: Google Maps
He was arrested when he was found to be carrying drugs.
In a media release on Saturday (1 Apr), the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the incident occurred on the morning of 19 Mar.
A Singapore-registered car entered Woodlands Checkpoint in the early hours.
It ended up in the immigration clearance lane of the departure car zone.
Source: Google Maps. Photo for illustration purposes only.
However, the car’s driver purportedly didn’t have any valid identity documents or travel documents on him.
The 49-year-old Singaporean man told the ICA officer that he actually had no intention to depart Singapore, despite turning up at the checkpoint.
He’d made a wrong turn into the building, he claimed.
Nonetheless, he had to be checked anyway.
First, ICA’s First Response Team performed a biometric screening on him and found that the identity he’d given them was allegedly false.
Then, they conducted a body search on him.
Three vapes and a cable knife were found.
Lastly, officers searched his car and found a number of illegal items, including:
The suspected controlled drugs had an estimated street value of S$52,000.
Following the discoveries, the driver was placed under arrest.
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) is now on the case, and their investigations are ongoing.
The ICA said they’ll continue to conduct security checks at Singapore’s checkpoints, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
This is to detect potential offenders and safeguard Singapore’s borders, which is their top priority.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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