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Busy, Busy Time For Smugglers..Err, I Mean Checkpoint Officers
A Malaysian man panicked and tried to escape on his motorcycle when contraband cigarettes were found in his motorcycle. The quick-thinking checkpoint officer immediately pulled out the ignition key to stop the motorcycle. The 39-year-old man was arrested and a total of 162 packets of contraband cigarettes were found hidden in various parts of the motorcycle. This was just one of the 67 smuggling cases detected at the land checkpoints over the weekend.
2 In another incident on 12 Mar 06 at about 1145 hours, a Malaysian couple (a 32-year-old man and 30-year-old woman) tried to smuggle in 15 cartons of contraband cigarettes by hiding the contraband inside the passenger seats of a blue Malaysian-registered car. Their attempt was foiled by ICA officers who uncovered the contraband during a check on their vehicle.
3 About three hours earlier on the same day at 0900 hours, a Malaysian man riding a motorcycle was stopped at Woodlands Checkpoint for a check. Contraband cigarettes were found hidden not in his Malaysian-registered motorcycle but in his undergarment! Somehow, the 33-year-old man had managed to stuff 10 packets of contraband cigarettes in his undergarment but his deed was duly exposed.
4 The smuggling cases, including four vehicles that were seized for the smuggling attempts had been referred to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
5 ICA will continue to remain vigilant, including and especially during the peak periods, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the peak period to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. As our country’s first line of defence against terrorist threats, ICA has a duty to ensure the security and safety of Singapore. We have tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and contraband items. We will like to advise travellers not to bring in unlawful/prohibited goods into Singapore, as this will inconvenience them and other checkpoint users. A (non-exhaustive) list of controlled and prohibited items can be found on the ICA website at http://www.ica.gov.sg under ‘Travellers Information Guide’.
2 In another incident on 12 Mar 06 at about 1145 hours, a Malaysian couple (a 32-year-old man and 30-year-old woman) tried to smuggle in 15 cartons of contraband cigarettes by hiding the contraband inside the passenger seats of a blue Malaysian-registered car. Their attempt was foiled by ICA officers who uncovered the contraband during a check on their vehicle.
3 About three hours earlier on the same day at 0900 hours, a Malaysian man riding a motorcycle was stopped at Woodlands Checkpoint for a check. Contraband cigarettes were found hidden not in his Malaysian-registered motorcycle but in his undergarment! Somehow, the 33-year-old man had managed to stuff 10 packets of contraband cigarettes in his undergarment but his deed was duly exposed.
4 The smuggling cases, including four vehicles that were seized for the smuggling attempts had been referred to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
5 ICA will continue to remain vigilant, including and especially during the peak periods, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the peak period to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. As our country’s first line of defence against terrorist threats, ICA has a duty to ensure the security and safety of Singapore. We have tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and contraband items. We will like to advise travellers not to bring in unlawful/prohibited goods into Singapore, as this will inconvenience them and other checkpoint users. A (non-exhaustive) list of controlled and prohibited items can be found on the ICA website at http://www.ica.gov.sg under ‘Travellers Information Guide’.