SINGAPORE: 450 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized at Woodlands Checkpoint on 7 January.
The haul was hidden at the front of a container truck, just behind the driver.
What caught the attention of Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers were the freshly-painted rivets on the vehicle.
The officers also found that the inner length of the container to be significantly shorter than its exterior. So it did not take them long to discover the secret cargo.
The cigarettes have a total market value of around S$40,500.
The 36-year-old Malaysian driver admitted that he knew about the cigarettes. He claimed the "job" was given to him by loan-sharks whom he had owed S$13,139.
The driver said he was promised about S$394 if he successfully delivered the contraband cigarettes.
The case has been handed over to the Singapore Customs for further investigations. - CNA/vm
450 cartons of contraband cigarettes seized at Woodlands Checkpoint 
Linear Mode
