January 16, 2021, 01:56 PM
It seems like the God of Fortune doesn't bless everyone with luck and wealth, especially contraband cigarette smugglers.
In a Facebook post posted on Jan. 16, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) shared that they discovered 11,285 cartons and 7,684 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes on Jan. 13.
ICA managed to foil the smuggling attempt, which included the involvement of a Malaysia-registered lorry that was trying to enter Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint.
Photo from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority's Facebook page.
Hidden in CNY-related figurines
According to the post, the officers noticed anomalies in the x-ray images of consignments which consisted of Chinese New Year-related figurines.
When the officers were doing the course of checks, they found uncovered contraband cigarettes concealed inside the figurines.
This was how the figurines looked:
Photo from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority's Facebook page.
Photo from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority's Facebook page.
The case has since been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
ICA 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. The ICA will continue to conduct security checks on passengers, goods and vehicles so as to safeguard Singapore's security."
Top image from ICA's Facebook page.
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