A migrant worker was caught smoking an illegal cigarette at Marine Parade while taking a break from his painting duties at work.
The incident happened on 9 October at Marine Parade, according to The Straits Times.
The worker was taking a break whilst on painting duty when he smoked a contraband cigarette and was then caught by customs officers during an operation.
The worker had hidden the illegal contraband cigarettes inside another packet of duty-paid, legal cigarettes.
Speaking to ST, the migrant worker said that the contraband cigarettes that he buys form his dormitory only costs $5, and added that local cigarettes were too expensive for him.
He was fined $500, which is almost the entirety of his monthly salary, and he added that he would not be smoking or buying those illegal cigarettes anymore because it isn’t worth it.
Enforcement operation
Singapore Customs conducted the operation on 9 October to catch workers smoking duty-unpaid cigarettes, according to ST.
About 33 workers between the ages of 32 and 70 were caught in the operations conducted at areas including Geylang and Chinatown, of which 9 of them were Singaporeans.
About 380 sticks of contraband cigarettes were also seized in the operations.