A total of 3,100 cartons of contraband cigarettes have been seized in Singapore by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers, ICA said in a press release on Friday.

The authority said a lorry, carrying a consignment declared to be plasticware, was stopped by ICA officers for checks at the Jurong Port Main Gate on Wednesday.

The lorry was then directed to the Jurong Scanning Station for radiographic scanning, where officers observed anomalies in the scanned images.

A total of 3,100 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found hidden in the lorry, said ICA. The potential duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to about 284,800 Singapore dollars (199,018 U.S. dollars) and 25,890 Singapore dollars (18,092 U.S. dollars).

The driver, a 57-year-old male Singaporean, plasticware consignment, contraband cigarettes and the lorry were handed over to Singapore Customs for investigations, according to the release. The vehicle used in the commission of such offences is liable to be forfeited.

Source: XINHUA