For any car buyer, fuel efficiency of a car is one of the key considerations. To gain even greater mileage, some motorists turned to sensible driving. In one of our recent case detections at Woodlands Checkpoint, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers were greeted with the latest fuel-saving ‘tactic’- Tobacco in fuel compartment.

2.     On 3 July 2012 at about 5pm, a Malaysia-registered bus driven by a 38-year-old male Malaysian was stopped for checks. The lone driver was interviewed by ICA officers and the vehicle was subjected to inspection. During the course of checks, the ICA officers suspected that the fuel tank was modified. Upon prying open the modified fuel tank, ICA officers uncovered a total of 138 slabs of duty-unpaid manufactured tobacco weighing about 137kg.

 
Manufactured tobacco hidden in modified fuel tank

3.     The total potential Customs duty and GST payable of the 138 slabs of duty-unpaid manufactured tobacco are estimated to be about S$48,400 and S$5,200 respectively. The driver and the illegal stash were handed over to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.


Manufactured tobacco weighing about 137kg

4.     Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act. Offenders will be severely dealt with. Repeat offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years. For every packet of illegal cigarettes, buyers may face a composition sum of at least $500.

5.     Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. We have tightened our security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands. The same methods of concealment used by contraband smugglers may be used by terrorists to smuggle arms and explosives to carry out more sinister attacks in Singapore. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’s security.


IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
4 JULY 2012