Singapore Customs has seized 17,279 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in two back-to-back operations, marking the largest inland haul recorded by the authorities this year.
The operations, conducted on November 30 and December 1, also led to the arrest of four men, the agency said in a statement on Monday, December 8. The total amount of evaded duty and goods and services tax (GST) is estimated to exceed S$1.87 million.
The first enforcement action took place on November 30 at an industrial building in Pandan Loop. Customs officers observed a Singapore-registered van reversing into a loading bay, where three men were seen loading several brown boxes into the cargo area.
When officers moved in to inspect the vehicle, they uncovered 2,400 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes. Further questioning of the men led officers to a unit within the building, where an additional 3,195 cartons were found.
In total, 5,595 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized during the operation. A 27-year-old Singaporean man, who was driving the van, and three Indian nationals aged 30, 36, and 39 were arrested. The van was also seized.
The following day, on December 1, customs officers conducted a separate raid at a warehouse along Jurong Port Road. Inside, they uncovered 11,684 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes, pushing the total seizure from both operations to more than 17,000 cartons.
The court proceedings against the four arrested individuals are still ongoing.
Singapore Customs stressed that dealing in duty-unpaid goods—whether buying, selling, transporting, storing, or possessing—is a serious offence under the Customs Act and GST Act.
Offenders may face fines of up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, imprisonment of up to six years, or both. Vehicles used in the commission of such offences may also be forfeited.
The agency reiterated its commitment to clamp down on illicit trade and warned that enforcement efforts will continue to be stepped up to deter such activities.
