SINGAPORE, Feb 3 — What looked like innocent bits of furniture in the back of a Malaysia-registered van turned out to be anything but, after officers at Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority smashed them apart during an enhanced check at Woodlands Checkpoint on January 22 — only to uncover a stash of duty-unpaid cigarettes stuffed inside.

A video on ICA’s social media shows officers literally hammering chunks off the so-called furniture. As the panels cracked, cartons of illicit cigarettes tumbled out — confirming that the wooden shells were nothing more than makeshift decoys.

ICA said the van had been “profiled and directed for enhanced checks”, where officers uncovered more than 150 cartons and 60 loose packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed within the load.

The profiling work is typically handled by ICA’s Integrated Targeting Centre, a round-the-clock unit that leans on data analytics to assess the risk level of travellers, vehicles and cargo before they arrive. Those deemed higher risk are sent straight for inspection when they reach the checkpoint.

The 32-year-old Malaysian driver was arrested, and the case has been handed to Singapore Customs for further investigation.

ICA also issued a reminder that dealing in duty-unpaid goods is a serious offence under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act. 

Offenders face fines of up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, up to six years’ jail, or both — and vehicles used in such attempts can be forfeited outright.