SINGAPORE - More than 2,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Monday (March 18).

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, ICA said that its officers found 2,016 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in a consignment of goods declared as "mineral water" in a Malaysia-registered lorry that was coming into Singapore.

Their suspicions were aroused when they noticed anomalies in the scanned images of the consignment.

The case, involving a 45-year-old male Malaysian driver, was then referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation, said the post.

ICA added that as the lorry was involved in the offence, it is liable to be forfeited.

The authority said: "This method of concealment is a cause for concern as similar methods may be used by people with ill intent to smuggle security items into Singapore."

ICA officers have, in the past, found contraband cigarettes hidden in a loaf of bread, as well as along the waistlines of two men.