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A TOTAL of 11 Ministry of Manpower (MOM) work passes and a fake Singapore blue identity card, were seized by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers last Tuesday when they foiled a smuggler's attempt to bring in duty-unpaid cigarettes from Malaysia.
ICA officers at the cargo complex of Woodlands Checkpoint had stopped a lorry that was transporting granite and sent it for X-ray screening.
The screening proved inconclusive and a body search was conducted on the driver, in which officers managed to recover a bundle of work passes, a forged Singapore blue identity card, six Safety Orientation Certificate (SOC) cards and 11 photocopies of bio-data page of foreign passports.
The 43-year-old Malaysian driver claimed that he was instructed by his employer to bring the bundle of cards into Singapore and hand them over to an unknown subject. He was also instructed to leave the lorry in Sungei Kadut for two hours, after he had delivered the granite.
After emptying the contents of the lorry, ICA officers conducted further investigations and found a secret compartment beneath the metal floorboards of the lorry. Upon opening the compartment, they found a total of 14,500 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes, worth about $131,000 in total.
Under the Customs and GST Acts, offenders face stiff penalties and even jail term. The vehicle used in the commission of such offences will also be forfeited.
Buyers who are found in possession of a packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes, are liable to a minimum fine of $500 or prosecution in court.
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| Lorry carrying granite stones |
Black bundle containing forged cards |
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| Forged work passes and cards |
Different materials were used |
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| Secret compartment |
Contraband cigarettes hidden beneath |
Photos: Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
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