SINGAPORE - More than 3kg of cannabis was found hidden in a Malaysia-registered lorry carrying a cargo of hardwood and air-conditioning parts at Tuas Checkpoint.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Tuas Command foiled the bid to smuggle the illegal substance into the Republic on Dec 20, said the agency in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 28).

ICA officers found a drawstring bag containing a black plastic bag behind the driver's seat. The plastic bag contained three unknown packages, each individually wrapped in aluminium foil and transparent plastic wrapping. They allegedly contained 3,113g of cannabis.

The lorry driver, a 24-year-old Malaysian man, was arrested and handed over to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for further investigations.

The amount of cannabis seized can feed the addiction of 440 cannabis abusers for a week, ICA said.

It added that it will continue to work with CNB to prevent attempts to smuggle drugs, as well as conduct security checks at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle undesirable people, weapons, explosives and other contraband across Singapore's borders.

"Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security," ICA said.