SINGAPORE - The authorities seized a total of 227 cartons and 1,366 packets of contraband cigarettes on Monday afternoon (July 16) at Tuas Checkpoint.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that officers had found the duty-unpaid cigarettes stashed away in various compartments of a Malaysia-registered car at about 1.25pm.

From the pictures ICA posted, the cigarettes were concealed in places such as the inside of the car's modified dashboard, front bumper, and rear fender.

The car was driven by a 42-year-old Malaysian woman. The case has been handed over to Singapore Customs.

Just last Friday, the ICA had seized around $19,200 worth of duty-unpaid cigarettes that had been concealed using similar methods, also involving a Malaysian driver and a Malaysia-registered car.

ICA said that this method of concealment is a "cause for concern".

"Similar methods may be used by people with ill intent to smuggle security items into Singapore," the agency added.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act.

Those convicted can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, and jailed for up to six years.

Repeat offenders caught with more than 2kg of tobacco products will also face imprisonment.