ICA officers slice open pickup truck tyres at Woodlands Checkpoint, find over 1,380 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers had to bring out their tyre-cutting tools as they sliced open the tyres of a Malaysia-registered pickup truck at Woodlands Checkpoint on Oct 11.

In a video posted on its social media on Thursday (Oct 22), officers are seen cutting open the wall of a tyre, revealing packets of cigarettes bundled in plastic packaging.

Once it was established that there could be more contraband items, officers are seen removing all four tyres and cutting them open.

More bundles were removed, eventually filling one table, and a third of another.

According to ICA, the discovery of more than 1,380 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes was made during an enhanced check, adding that the items were concealed within tyre rims.

A 23-year-old male Malaysian driver was arrested and the case has been referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation.

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.

10 月 11 日，在兀兰关卡，移民与关卡局 (ICA) 的官员不得不拿出轮胎切割工具，切开一辆马来西亚注册皮卡车的轮胎。

在周四（10 月 22 日）发布在其社交媒体上的一段视频中，可以看到警员们切开轮胎侧壁，露出用塑料包装捆扎的香烟。

一旦确定车内可能藏有更多违禁品，警员们便卸下四个轮胎并将其切开。

又移除了一些包裹，最终填满了一张桌子，以及另一张桌子的三分之一。

据ICA称，在一次加强检查中发现了1380多包未缴税香烟，并补充说这些物品藏在轮胎轮辋内。

一名23岁的马来西亚籍男司机被捕，该案件已移交新加坡海关作进一步调查。

根据《海关法》和《商品和服务税法》，购买、出售、运输、持有或处理未缴税货物都是严重的违法行为。

违法者可被处以逃税金额 40 倍的罚款，或被判处最高 6 年监禁，或两者并罚。

用于这些违法行为的车辆以及销售未缴税货物的所得款项也可能被没收。