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ICA officers hack open bus with axe at Woodlands Checkpoint, find duty-unpaid cigarettes, M’sian man, 42, arrested
Officers used axes and screwdrivers to pry open the vehicle’s chassis.
May 26, 2026, 10:10 PM
Photos via ICA
A 42-year-old Malaysian man was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint on May 15 for attempting to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore via a blue bus.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) posted about the incident on Facebook on May 26.
The man was driving into Singapore via a Malaysia-registered bus.
ICA image analysts noticed anomalies in the scanned image of the bus and directed it for enhanced checks.
ICA officers were seen using tools such as screwdrivers and axes to pry open the vehicle’s chassis.
More than 3,200 cartons and 40 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were extracted from the vehicle.
The exhibits and the suspect were referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
