Driver claimed he made a wrong turn into Woodlands CIQ, but later found to have knives and drugs in car

SINGAPORE: A 49-year-old man was arrested after he drove to the exit of the Woodlands Checkpoint and claimed that he had gone the wrong way and had no intention of leaving the country. A quick check by Singapore officers, however, showed that the man had not only lied about his identity, but also had drugs, vapes, and multiple knives within his car.

The man, who drove a Singapore-registered car, was subsequently arrested on the spot.

Adding that the incident took place on March 19, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that the man was stopped for checks after his car entered the departure car zone immigration clearance lane.

The man provided a name to officers and said that he actually ended up at the checkpoint by accident and that he was not planning on leaving the country. ICA’s First Response Team officer, however, discovered that he had provided false identification and had no valid travel documents, during a biometric screening.

A body search later revealed that the man had three vapes, a cable knife, and suspected drug paraphernalia in his possession. Subsequently, approximately 332g of Ice and 28g of heroin, worth an estimated $52,000, were seized from the vehicle, along with three kitchen knives and an electronic vaporizer refill.

Investigations are ongoing by the Central Narcotics Bureau. ICA has affirmed its commitment to working with law enforcement agencies to prevent any attempt to breach Singapore’s laws at the checkpoints.