PUBLISHED ONNovember 27, 2025 9:58 AMBYSean LerSingapore Customs seized 3,100 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and arrested four Malaysian men, aged between 20 and 39, during an enforcement operation at Pasir Laba heavy vehicle carpark in Jurong West on Nov 13.
The total duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded amounted to about $335,785, Singapore Customs said on Thursday (Nov 27).
During the operation, officers conducted checks on a parked tanker and a nearby forested area, where duty-unpaid cigarettes were allegedly being packed into cartons.
Checks uncovered 3,100 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes found concealed within the tanker and in the forested area.
The duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized.
Investigations revealed that a 30-year-old Malaysian man was allegedly hired to drive a prime mover with the tank attached from Malaysia to Singapore, while a 39-year-old Malaysian man was hired to deliver the contraband using a truck.
The remaining two men, aged 20 and 21, were allegedly hired by the 39 year-old to act as lookouts, including using a motorcycle to "scout the area" to ensure that it was safe for unloading the contraband.
The vehicles involved — the prime mover and the attached tank, the truck, and motorcycle — have also been seized.
Court proceedings are ongoing for all the four arrested.
Under the Customs Act and the GST Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences.
Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years. Vehicles used in committing such offences are also subject to forfeiture.
On Nov 4, Singapore Customs foiled another case of duty-unpaid cigarettes involving three male Chinese nationals at Joo Koon and Bendemeer.
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