Man charged after allegedly smuggling 3,450 sachets of chewing tobacco into Singapore
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The 38-year-old faces one charge for attempting to smuggle the prohibited items into Singapore.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SINGAPORE – A man was charged in court on Sept 19 after he was allegedly caught attempting to smuggle chewing tobacco into Singapore.
Gobi Thayanithi, a Malaysian, was stopped at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Sept 18 after officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority detected anomalies in the scanned images of his lorry.
Officers from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) were then alerted by their border colleagues.
An enhanced search of the vehicle revealed 3,450 sachets of chewing tobacco hidden in the cabin compartment.
Chewing tobacco, which contains carcinogens, or chemicals known to cause cancer, is a prohibited substance in Singapore.
The 38-year-old faces one charge for attempting to smuggle the prohibited items into Singapore. He will return to court on Oct 7 after he indicated that he intended to plead guilty to his charge.
If convicted, he can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.
If found to be a repeat offender, he faces up to 12 months’ jail, a fine of up to $20,000, or both.
In October 2024, The Straits Times reported that HSA and Singapore Customs seized 7,700kg of chewing tobacco in 2023, up from the 4,500kg seized in 2022, and 1,500kg in 2021.
HSA also reported seizing 600kg of chewing tobacco in an operation in Little India from May 15 to June 30 in 2024.
