Singapore Customs seized about 1.9 million packets of contraband cigarettes in the first nine months of this year, almost double the 1.03 million seized in the same period last year.

The agency under the Finance Ministry attributed it to stepped up enforcement and its collaboration with other law enforcement agencies against contraband cigarette smugglers, peddlers and buyers.

Duty collected from legal cigarettes in the first nine months of this year also showed a spike of 4.1 per cent to $721 million, compared to $692 million collected in the same period last year.

Singapore Customs said this suggests that smokers here are increasingly ditching contraband for duty-paid cigarettes.