Car That Crashed Through Tuas Checkpoint Was in a High-Speed Chase & Driver Had a Tampered Passport

While most Singaporeans were in deep sleep at 2:14am on Friday (8 Apr), the ICA officers at the Second Link had a serious matter to deal with.

No, it had nothing to do with smugglers trying to re-enact our childhood hobbies:

Remember when we used to eat these snacks and pretend they were cigarettes?

ICA officers at Changi Airfreight Centre discovered that some people play the game in reverse – concealing duty-unpaid cigarettes in snack boxes, hoping to avoid detection. pic.twitter.com/jHEsh1JcTf

— ICA Singapore (@ICA_singapore) April 7, 2022

Instead of trying to smuggle contraband cigarettes in, they met with a Singaporean male who tried smuggling two foreigners in.

Car That Crashed Through Tuas Checkpoint Was in a High-Speed Chase & Driver Had a Tampered Passport

At 2.14am on 8 April 2022, a Malaysia-registered car slipped past departure clearance at Malaysia’s Sultan Abu Bakar Complex.

Driven by a Singaporean male, the car was carrying two passengers: a male Chinese national and a female Vietnamese national.

He led the Malaysia Traffic Police on a high-speed chase across the causeway and tried to force his way into Singapore.

An auxiliary police officer, who was at the Malaysia-facing entrance of Tuas Checkpoint, spotted the high-speed chase and raised the alarm.

The checkpoint was subsequently placed on lockdown.

Crash & Attempted Escape

The car attempted to force its way through the automated motorcycle lane. Unfortunately, the lane was too narrow and it crashed into the counters.

The two passengers attempted to escape the scene on foot but were stopped by auxiliary police officers while ICA officers detained the driver.

Injuries

An ICA officer suffered an abrasion on the right ankle due to the crash while the female passenger was injured in a fall while trying to flee.

Both injured parties were taken to the hospital after the incident.

Arrested & Investigations Are Ongoing

It was found out that all three parties in the high-speed intrusion had issues with their papers.

Both passengers allegedly didn’t have valid travel documents.

The Singaporean driver also reportedly held a Singapore passport which was tampered with.

It was revealed that the driver was wanted by the police and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), and had tested positive for taking drugs.

The trio has since been arrested and investigations are ongoing.

Possible Penalties

For illegal entry, they can be jailed for up to six months and given a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

For possessing a false Singapore travel document, the driver can be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to 10 years, or both.

And for damaging government property, first-timers can be fined up to S$2,000, jailed for up to 3 months, or both.

Serious Matter

Back in 2019, there was a similar incident. Chew Guan Mong was given 24 strokes of the cane and 15 years of preventive detention for stealing a car and crashing it through a barrier at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Chew was a repeat offender and carried a weapon—a sickle—which he used to steal a car to try and flee out of Singapore.

Due to a mistake, he entered the motorcycle lane and crashed through a traffic control barrier.

Chew brandished his sickle at officers on the scene but was eventually subdued.

A small pack of methamphetamine (Ice) was found in the car after a search.

You can read more here.

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Feature Image: Facebook (Immigration & Checkpoints Authority)