On 19 Nov 2003 at about 0345 hours, three male Thai nationals were arrested by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at the Tuas Checkpoint for attempting to smuggle boxes of duty-unpaid tobacco products (Ang Hoon). ICA officers stopped a Thailand-registered lorry driven by a 47- year-old Thai national for routine checks at the Arrival Cargo Complex of Tuas Checkpoint. Based on the Cargo Clearance Permit produced by the driver, the lorry was said to contain fresh vegetables. In the course of the search, the driver and two other passengers, both in their 20s, appeared nervous. Upon further checks, ICA officers found approximately 130.8 kg of duty-unpaid tobacco products packed into 12 styrofoam boxes. The boxes were hidden amidst similar boxes containing vegetables stacked at the back of the lorry.

2 The market value of the tobacco products is estimated to be $22,000/-. The Customs duty and GST payable are about $15,042/- and $880/- respectively. The three accused, lorry, duty-unpaid tobacco products were seized and handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigation.

3 If found guilty, the offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of custom duties and GST involved. Since 14 Mar 2003, ICA has tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles/vessels at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband. ICA officers at the checkpoints maintain a high level of vigilance at all times and are trained to profile potential offenders.


END OF NEWS RELEASE

Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
19 Nov 2003