Over 200 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes seized from China national at Changi Airport
The duty-unpaid cigarettes were concealed in the traveller's bags.
PHOTO: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
PUBLISHED ONMarch 24, 2026 3:40 AMBYDana LeongA Chinese traveller's attempt to smuggle over 200 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore was foiled at Changi Airport.
In a Facebook post on Monday (March 23), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that the incident occurred on March 19 at Changi Airport Terminal 1.
ICA officers noticed a 57-year-old male Chinese traveller behaving suspiciously and subsequently directed him for additional checks.
When asked if he had any items to declare, he declared only 10 cartons of cigarettes, but further checks revealed that he was carrying a total of 218 cartons in in his three bags.
The traveller and the duty-unpaid cigarettes were referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods is 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.
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