God of Fortune not smiling down on smugglers who hid cigarettes in figurines at Woodlands Checkpoint

A total of 11,285 cartons and 7,685 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in God of Fortune figures during a foiled smuggling attempt at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers had discovered the contraband cigarettes concealed inside Lunar New Year-related figurines transported by a Malaysia-registered lorry on Wednesday (Jan 13), after noticing anomalies in the x-ray images of the consignments.

The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation, said ICA in a Facebook post titled 'Huat ah!' on Saturday.

ICA added in its statement: "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.

"The ICA will continue to conduct security checks on passengers, goods and vehicles so as to safeguard Singapore’s security."

 

Huat ah! On 13 Jan, ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint foiled an attempt to smuggle 11,285 cartons and 7,685 packets...

Posted by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority on Friday, 15 January 2021