509kg of cannabis found in shipping container at Pasir Panjang sea checkpoint

509kg of cannabis was seized in a 20-foot inbound container at Pasir Panjang Scanning Station, one of Singapore's sea checkpoints, on Jan.3, 2026.

This was announced by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in a joint news release issued on Jan. 9.

Preliminary investigations showed that the drugs were transiting through Singapore and bound for another country.

Under Section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973, those who import into or export from Singapore more than 500g of cannabis may face the death penalty.

Investigations are ongoing.

Container subjected to 'enhanced checks'

According to the news release, Singapore Customs received information regarding the container and shared it with both ICA and CNB.

The container was subsequently targeted for enhanced checks, coupled with pre-arrival risk assessment by ICA's Integrated Targeting Centre.

During the checks, ICA's Image Analysts detected anomalies in the scanned images of the container.

Upon physical inspection, ICA officers found one packet of brownish substance suspected to be a controlled drug inside a box within the container.

Upon being alerted, CNB officers conducted further checks on the container and uncovered a total of 92 packets of cannabis.

Top images via ICA & CNB