In just under a week, three male Malaysian smugglers were caught red-handed at Singapore's Tuas Checkpoint for attempting to smuggle large hauls of duty-unpaid cigarettes with Malaysia-registered buses.

The first case occured in the afternoon on Oct 8 when Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers uncovered 1,440 cartons of contraband cigarettes. These cartons were hidden in a specially constructed floorboard in the bus, driven by a 28-year-old Malay bus driver.

The next day, a 47-year-old Chinese bus driver was caught smuggling 2,423 cartons of cigarettes. A fake air ventilation fan was used to hide the contraband goods.

On the third occasion, customs officers at Tuas' Second Link uncovered 1,845 cartons at midnight on Oct 13.

This time round, a 32-year-old Chinese driver was caught smuggling duty-unpaid cigarettes, hiding them underneath a wooden floorboard that was covered with new rubber mats and carpets.

Altogether, over 1.1 million sticks of contraband cigarettes have been uncovered in these recent cases. Customs duty and GST amount to about $431,000 and $37,000 respectively.

Cash-trapped drivers are often exploited by syndicate members, agreeing to help smuggle contraband goods for a paltry sum of 'coffee money'.

Under investigation

Singapore Customs is currently investigating the three bus drivers. Upon conviction, first-time offenders can be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of duty evaded. For second or subsequent convictions, offenders can be jailed for up to two years, as well as being fined. The offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded.

This year, five cases of contraband smuggling involving buses through land checkpoints occurred over the first nine months. In less than a month, ICA officers have already busted three cases of contraband smuggling.