Investigations ongoing after illegal cigarettes found among instant noodle packets: S’pore Customs
Calista Wong
The Straits Times
May 22, 2026
Investigations are ongoing after more than 9,300 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found concealed within parcels declared as instant noodles at Changi Airfreight Centre on May 12.
In a Facebook post on May 21, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said its search and examinations officers at Changi Airfreight Centre acted on information from its Integrated Targeting Centre and a directed the cargo consignment for X-ray screening.
They noticed anomalies in the scanned images of a consignment declared as instant noodles. Upon further examination, they found the duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed within the parcels.
The exhibits were referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation, the post read.
Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing in duty-unpaid cigarettes are serious offences, punishable by a fine up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded. Offenders can also face a jail term of up to six years.
“There have been other instances where food items and food packaging were used to conceal duty-unpaid cigarettes,” a Singapore Customs spokesperson said on May 22 in response to queries.
On April 7, a Malaysian man was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint after he tried to smuggle eight packets of contraband cigarettes into Singapore by hiding them in a loaf of bread.
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