Malaysian man arrested after 4,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes found in lorry at Tuas Checkpoint

SINGAPORE – A 26-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on Sept 4 after 4,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in a lorry entering Singapore.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a Sept 15 Facebook post that its officers had detected “anomalies” in screened images of a Malaysia-registered lorry at Tuas Checkpoint.

Enhanced checks revealed the cigarettes concealed underneath a consignment of concrete piles.

The exhibits were referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation, the post said.

All cigarettes and tobacco products, including those purchased in Singapore with the Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette (SDPC) mark, are subject to duty and goods and services tax when brought into Singapore, according to the Singapore Customs website.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing in duty-unpaid cigarettes are serious offences, punishable by a fine of up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded. Offenders can also face a jail term of up to six years.

Vehicles used to commit such offences are also liable to be forfeited.