PUBLISHED ONMarch 13, 2026 10:37 AMBYLim KeweiA 35-year-old Malaysian man was arrested after duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in the tanker truck he was driving into Singapore.
In a Facebook post on Friday (March 13), the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the smuggling attempt took place at Tuas Checkpoint on March 6.
An ICA officer had detected anomalies in the scanned image of the Malaysia-registered bowser truck and flagged the vehicle for enhanced checks.
Using a drill and hammer, officers took apart the bottom of the tanker to reveal a hidden modified compartment containing more than 3,400 cartons of contraband cigarettes.
The driver was arrested and the case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act.
Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both.
Vehicles used in these offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid goods may also be forfeited.
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lim.kewei@asiaone.com