PUBLISHED ONJune 26, 2026 1:15 PMBYSean LerImmigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers had to deploy crowbars and cutters to cut and pry open parts of a Malaysia-registered tanker truck during an enhanced check at Tuas Checkpoint on June 11.
An image analyst found anomalies in the scanner image of its floorboard where search and examinations went on to uncover 3,050 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes.
A 42-year-old male Malaysian driver was arrested and referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation.
This incident happened days before a Malaysia-registered bus hid more than 880 cartons and 110 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes from the modified engine compartment of the vehicle.
In a video posted on its social media on Friday (June 26), ICA officers and workers are seen standing in a manhole, using a cutter to open up the tanker's floorboard.
After cutting open a section of the modified compartment, workers used a crowbar to pry open the welded panels.
Lashing straps are then used to create a "hook" to pull out cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes which were bundled together.
Profiling is typically conducted by ICA's Integrated Targeting Centre, which operates 24/7 and leverages data analytics to conduct pre-arrival assessment of travellers, conveyances and cargo.
Those assessed to be of higher risk are flagged for checks upon arrival at Singapore's checkpoints.
Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act.
Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both.
Vehicles used in these offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid goods may also be forfeited.
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