Four Malaysian men were charged in the State Courts on 27 May 2015 for their involvement in contraband cigarette activities.

 

2          Ng Kuan Hwa, 25; Ooi Teik Wei, 27; Gooi Chin Lean, 25; and Tay Chee Yong, 21, were arrested on 25 May 2015 by Singapore Customs officers. A total of 3,700 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes worth more than $409,000 were seized. The duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded exceeded $334,000. Two Singapore-registered vehicles – a van and a lorry – were also seized.

 

3          On the afternoon of 25 May 2015, officers from Singapore Customs and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority kept a close watch on a warehouse unit at Woodlands Industrial Park.

 

4          At about 4pm, suspecting that there were illegal cigarette activities going on in the warehouse, the officers moved in and raided the unit. They saw Ng, Ooi, Gooi and Tay in the unit and found 3,700 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes, which had been retrieved from the hollow spaces within 12 concrete barriers. The four men were arrested and the duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized.

 

5          Court proceedings are ongoing for the four men.

 

6          Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act. Offenders will be severely dealt with. They can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.

 

7          The minimum court fine for first-time and repeat offenders of tobacco-related offences are $2,000 and $4,000 respectively. Repeat offenders who are caught with more than two kilogrammes of tobacco products will also face mandatory imprisonment. Vehicles used in the commission of such offences are also liable to be forfeited.

 

8          Members of the public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of customs duty or GST can contact the Singapore Customs hotline on 1800-2330000 or email [email protected]

 

 

SINGAPORE CUSTOMS

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY

28 MAY 2015

The duty-unpaid cigarettes were concealed in hollow spaces within the blocks of concrete barriers. (Photo: Singapore Customs)

The concrete barriers had an opening beneath through which the duty-unpaid cigarettes could be retrieved. (Photo: Singapore Customs)

A total of 3,700 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized in this operation. (Photo: Singapore Customs)