SINGAPORE: Six thousand cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized at Woodlands checkpoint on Tuesday (Oct 10), said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Wednesday.
The Malaysia-registered lorry, driven by a 47-year-old Malaysian man, was stopped for further checks at around 6am.
Its consignment was declared to contain assorted vegetables, but ICA officers found the cartons of cigarettes concealed among it.
The total duty and goods and services tax evaded amounted to about S$498,192 and S$36,744 respectively.
A total of 6,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized. (Photo: ICA)
“Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore’s security. The security checks are critical to our nation’s security,” the ICA said in a statement.
“The ICA will continue to conduct security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband. The same methods of concealment used by contraband smugglers may be used by terrorists to smuggle arms and explosives to carry out attacks in Singapore.”
