M'sian lorry found with 3,450 sachets of chewing tobacco at Woodlands Checkpoint, driver charged
Chewing tobacco is prohibited in Singapore.
A 38-year-old lorry driver was charged in court on Sept 19 for attempting to smuggle chewing tobacco into the Republic.
Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) had noticed anomalies in the scanned images of a Malaysian-registered lorry driven by Gobi Thayanithi at Woodlands Checkpoint on Sept 18.
During enhanced checks, ICA officers uncovered chewing tobacco hidden in the cabin compartment. After a search of the vehicle, a total of 3,450 sachets of chewing tobacco were found.
The case was referred to the Health Sciences Authority.
For the first offence, any person convicted of importing, distribution, sale or offer for sale smokeless tobacco is liable to a fine up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to six months or both.
For subsequent offences, the fine is up to $20,000 and imprisonment is up to 12 months.
