Singapore Customs seized 14,550 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed inside air cooler units during two enforcement operations in February, uncovering more than S$1.6 million ($1.3 million) in evaded duty and Goods and Services Tax. A 40-year-old Chinese national was arrested in connection with the case.
Officers first intercepted the man on Feb. 7 after observing him leaving an industrial building, who led them to a unit where 7,306 cartons were found hidden in three air coolers. Follow-up investigations resulted in a second raid on Feb. 11 at an industrial building, where an additional 7,244 cartons were discovered concealed similarly. The man said an unknown individual engaged him to retrieve the cigarettes from the air coolers and prepare them for local distribution.
