JOHOR BARU: Behind the car radio, inside door panels and beneath the boot lining, almost every hollow space in a Malaysia-registered car was used to conceal contraband cigarettes bound for Singapore.
The elaborate concealment failed at Woodlands Checkpoint on Oct 5, when Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers stopped the vehicle for enhanced checks.
They uncovered more than 700 cartons and 2,000 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes.
The 32-year-old Malaysian driver was arrested, and both him and the seized cigarettes were referred to Singapore Customs.
Despite Singapore's tough stance on contraband, cigarette smuggling attempts persist, driven by the lucrative black market.
The seizure highlights persistent cigarette smuggling attempts despite Singapore's tough stance on contraband, with high tobacco taxes creating a lucrative market for illicit cigarettes.
As a price benchmark, cartons of 10 packets of premium cigarettes in Singapore can retail for S$160 (about RM509).
At that price, 700 cartons and another 2,000 packets would have a hypothetical legal retail value of about S$144,000 (RM458,000). However, the actual value would depend on the brands involved, their purchase costs and the prices charged on the illegal market.
The latest interception follows a similar case in August, when ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint found more than 700 cartons and over 100 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in modified compartments of another Malaysia-registered car.
The repeated attempts come despite stiff penalties for cigarette smuggling in Singapore.
Under the Customs Act and Goods and Services Tax Act, offenders dealing in duty-unpaid cigarettes can face fines of up to 40 times the duty and GST evaded, imprisonment of up to six years, or both.
Vehicles used in such offences and proceeds from the illegal trade may also be forfeited.
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