SINGAPORE: Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers foiled attempts to smuggle in more than 2,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes through Woodlands Checkpoint last week, the authority said on Monday (Nov 12).
In a Facebook post, ICA said its officers discovered duty-unpaid cigarettes in a Singapore-registered car on Saturday.
A total of 192 cartons and 40 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in four ice boxes of seafood and the car’s spare tyre compartment.
A 64-year-old Singaporean man was referred to Singapore Customs for investigation.
A total of 192 cartons and 40 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in the Singapore-registered car. (Photo: ICA)
On Friday, ICA officers noticed anomalies in the scanned images of an arriving Singapore-registered bus and found 1,846 cartons and 40 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes in the vehicle’s luggage compartment.
The 47-year-old Singaporean driver was also referred to Singapore Customs for investigation.
“Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore’s security. In view of the Asean summit, ICA has stepped up checks at our air, land and sea checkpoints.
“Motorists using the land checkpoints can expect enhanced checks on their vehicles. We seek the public’s understanding and cooperation as we keep our borders safe during this period,” the authority added.
More than 1,800 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in the Singapore-registered bus. (Photo: ICA)
