Duty-unpaid cigarettes encased in concrete blocks
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A Malaysia-registered lorry was carrying a consignment of 16 concrete blocks, but Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Tuas Checkpoint on July 27 spotted anomalies.
When they drilled holes in the blocks, they discovered a total of 12,479 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes encased inside.
In a statement yesterday, the ICA said it was the largest haul of duty-unpaid cigarettes uncovered by the authority in the last five years.
The total duty and goods and services tax (GST) evaded amounted to $1,240,430 and $90,590 respectively.
The 25-year-old Malaysian male driver was arrested. The case has been handed over to the Singapore Customs for further investigation.
