The warning signs were there – ICA had detected 7,100 cases of cigarette and tobacco products smuggling in 2005, and more recently, 41 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found in a luxury car. Despite the high detection rate at the checkpoints, a Malaysian man was foolish enough to try smuggling chewing tobacco into Singapore. He learned the folly of his smuggling attempt when he was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint.

2 On 7 Mar 2006 at around 0610 hours, an auxiliary police officer stopped a Malaysian-registered motorcycle for a routine check. In the course of his check, the officer uncovered 68 packets containing a total of 816g of chewing tobacco hidden inside the air filter box. The 31-year-old Malaysian admitted ownership of the chewing tobacco.

3 Preliminary investigations showed that the man, a Work Permit holder had bought the duty-unpaid chewing tobacco in Johor Bahru and had wanted to sell the tobacco to his fellow workers at his worksite at Tuas. The Customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved are $150 and $10 respectively. The case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. If found guilty, the offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved.

4 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 would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.