Three separate smuggling attempts uncovered more than 2,000 packets of cigarettes at the Woodlands Checkpoint

The duty-unpaid cigarettes had the potential customs duty of $14,000 and GST of $1,270.

In the first case, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found 482 packets of contraband cigarettes in the spare tyre and inside the rear backrest of a Singapore-registered car.

The following morning, ICA officers stopped a Malaysia-registered car and uncovered 1,267 packets of cigarettes hidden in the door panels and speaker box of the vehicle.

Barely hours after the second case was detected, another Malaysia-registered car was stopped and inspected. Officers retrieved 260 packets of cigarettes hidden in the same manner as the previous incident.

The drivers of the three cars were handed over to the Singapore Customs (SC) for further investigations.