SINGAPORE, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- A total of 25,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized in two operations, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore said on Wednesday.
Singapore Customs said the two arrests represent the largest seizure of contraband cigarettes since April 2015, with total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) amounted to about 2.31 million Singapore dollars (1.62 million U.S. dollars) and 2.19 million Singapore dollars (1.54 million U.S. dollars) respectively.
The first operation, conducted on Jan. 17 at a logistics company, yielded 4,900 cartons hidden in brown boxes on the premises.
The second operation was then conducted on Jan. 23 for further investigations into the first case. The remaining 20,600 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were discovered in two containers parked in a vehicle yard according to the ICA.
The agency added that two Singaporeans, a 59-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman, as well as a 37-year-old Malaysian man were arrested.
The authority emphasized that "buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offenses under the Customs Act and the GST Act."
