SINGAPORE - A total of 25,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized in two related operations conducted by Singapore Customs on Jan 17 and Jan 23.
It is the largest seizure of contraband cigarettes since April 2015, it said in a press release on Wednesday (Jan 25).
The first operation, conducted last week at a logistics company in Jurong Port Road, yielded 4,900 cartons hidden in brown boxes on the premises.
A Singaporean man and woman, aged 59 and 54 respectively, as well as a 37-year-old Malaysian man, were arrested.
Investigations into the case led to another operation on Monday (Jan 23), which saw Singapore Customs officers seize a much larger haul of 20,600 cartons stored in two containers that were parked in a vehicle yard in Pioneer Sector 3.
The total duty and GST involved in both operations amounted to over $2.5 million.
Investigations are ongoing, Singapore Customs added.
