TOBACCO companies here could soon be digging through piles of rubbish in a bid to gauge the size of the illegal cigarette trade.

Singapore's tobacco association is awaiting the final nod from the authorities to collect empty cigarette boxes islandwide, including hotspots for peddlers like Geylang and Woodlands Road, said representative Manminder Singh.

The study - which could begin by the end of next month - involves sifting through packages for tell-tale signs, like a lack of health warnings.

Two smaller studies were done by British American Tobacco (BAT) in 2005 and last year, which paid pubs to collect empty packs left by patrons. One fifth were found to have come from overseas - likely without taxes paid.

Mr Singh, who is also the corporate and regulatory affairs manager for BAT, said: 'While the method is far from conclusive, it does give us an idea of how much contraband there is out on the market... We can then increase our efforts to deal with it.'

High taxes on legal cigarettes has led to an explosion in Singapore's black market. A pack of Marlboros, for instance, now costs $11.60 in stores, compared to about $5 for a pack of contraband.

Just last week, Customs officers seized more than 2,000 packs of illegal cigarettes during raids and arrested a slew of buyers and dealers.

In a statement, the agency said sting operations netted 68 buyers and eight street peddlers, in places like Geylang coffee shops, void decks in Boon Lay, Tampines and Ang Mo Kio, and a Bedok North hawker centre.

Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.