Smugglers just don’t give up attempting to bring in contraband cigarettes into Singapore, and Singaporean authorities just can’t stop foiling their plans. Over 3,560 cartons of duty unpaid cigarettes were uncovered in two of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)’s latest bust — both of which took place at Woodlands Checkpoint.
In the first bust that transpired on the afternoon of Jan 29, ICA officers stopped a Singapore-registered bus driven by a 50-year-old Singaporean. Inspections uncovered 3,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes located in modified compartments at the luggage compartment, chassis and even the emergency exit staircase.
The next day, ICA officers directed a Malaysia-registered lorry for further checks after detecting anomalies in scanned images. Though the consignment was declared as cartons of chocolates, what officers uncovered were 650 cartons and another 100 lose packets of duty unpaid cigarettes hidden in the undercarriage of the lorry.
The total duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded for both cases amounted to $316,080. The Singaporean driver and the 24-year-old Malaysian driver were handed over to Singapore customs for investigations.
