Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers have foiled an attempt to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore via a Malaysia-registered lorry.

The incident happened on Nov 29 at Tuas Checkpoint.

In a Facebook post on Friday (Jan 2), ICA said an image analyst notice anomalies in the lorry’s scanned image and directed the vehicle for further checks.

During the checks, ICA officers found 1,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed within the side panels of the vehicle.

The case has been referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation. 

Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are considered serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act.

If convicted, offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both.

Vehicles used in these offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid goods may also be forfeited.

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editor@asiaone.com