4 arrested after Singapore Customs seizes 3,100 cartons of contraband cigarettes and 3 vehicles
Calista Wong
The Straits Times
Nov 27, 2025
Four Malaysian men were arrested and 3,100 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized after an enforcement operation at Pasir Laba heavy vehicle carpark on Nov 13.
Three vehicles – a prime mover with a bowser attached, a truck and a motorcycle – were also seized.
The total duty and goods and services tax evaded amounted to about $335,785, Singapore Customs said in a statement on Nov 27.
The cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in the parked bowser and a nearby forested area, where the cigarettes were allegedly being packed into carton boxes.
Four men – aged 20, 21, 30 and 39 – were arrested after Customs officers conducted checks on the vehicle and forested area, the agency said.
Its investigations found that the 30-year-old man was allegedly engaged to drive the prime mover, with the bowser attached, from Malaysia to Singapore.
Singapore Customs said the 39-year-old was allegedly hired to deliver the duty-unpaid cigarettes using a truck and had allegedly engaged the two younger men as lookouts.
The 21-year-old was allegedly riding the motorcycle to scout the area and ensure it was safe for the unloading of the duty-unpaid cigarettes.
Court proceedings against all four men are ongoing, Singapore Customs said.
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