980 cartons of contraband cigarettes worth $104k found in mattress consignment

SINGAPORE - A lorry carrying a consignment declared as "mattress" was found to contain 980 cartons of contraband cigarettes during a routine check at Keppel Distripark on Feb 6 morning, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement on Friday.

The Singapore-registered vehicle was driven by a 38-year-old man who was accompanied by a 46-year-old attendant.

During physical checks, ICA officers discovered anomalies in the four mattresses and sent them for further inspection.

A total of 980 cartons, each containing 200 sticks of cigarettes, were found in hidden compartments of the mattresses.

The ICA estimates the value of the contraband cigarettes to be about $104,400, and the evaded duty and GST involved to amount to $76,000 and $7,300 respectively.

The two Singaporean suspects and the exhibits were later referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.

Investigations are ongoing, added the ICA.

minlee@sph.com.sg