Customs officers found 70 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes stashed behind a modified natural gas tank of a Malaysian-registered car on Wednesday night, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

The car was driven by a 23-year-old male Malaysian. Officers at the Woodlands Checkpoint noticed that the vehicle was a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV). They took a closer look at the gas tank and noticed that the modified fibreglass tank was different from the usual steel Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tanks in NGVs.

Upon closer inspection, officers found an unusual cut-mark at the back of the tank. The opening was held in place with a piece of wire and the hose fitting from the gas tank was a plastic flexi hose instead of the typical rubber hose.

The driver admitted he was aware of the smuggled items and told the officers that he had installed the fake gas tank for RM200. He paid RM2100 for the cigarettes and were intending to deliver them to a place at Woodlands.

He also revealed that a man named "Jack Tattoo" would contact him and purchase the cigarettes from him at $50 per carton.

The potential Customs duty and GST payable for the contrabands amounted to about $4,900 and $450 respectively.

According to Singapore law, first time offenders can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty evaded and jailed up to three years. Second or subsequent offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded and jailed up to six years.

Offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded.

Tell-tale signs of cut-mark and wire.		Wrong hose used - A plastic flexi hose was used instead of a rubber one.