The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) seizes a record number of 3 million contraband cigarettes in 2 years! This is yet another achievement by our checkpoint officers in our battle of wits against those who attempt to smuggle undesirables into Singapore.

2 On 20 June 2009 at about 0854 hours, our experienced Ports officer directed a 20-footer container from Keppel Wharf to the Tanjong Pagar Scanning Station for radiographic scanning. The innocuous-looking consignment was declared to contain 750 cartons of bamboo chopsticks. When the scanned image reflected inconsistencies in the densities of the load, the checkpoint officers smelled a rat and proceeded to conduct physical checks.

  

An innocuous-looking consignment

3 Upon opening up the container, the officers found cartons of the duly declared bamboo chopstick stacked at the entrance of the container. They were not to be fooled by the smokescreen and persisted to unload the heaps of consignment from the vehicle. Their efforts were not in vain when they finally uncovered cartons of illegal cigarettes tucked away behind the decoy consignment.

  

Officers not fooled by decoy chopsticks

4 The officers’ painstaking efforts were rewarded with the largest recovery of 15,000 cartons x 200 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes. The estimated street value of the duty-unpaid cigarettes is worth a whopping $1.4 million. The evaded duty and GST involved amounted to about $1.1 million and $96,000 respectively. The last biggest haul uncovered in a container was 6,200 cartons of contraband cigarettes declared to contain photocopiers in April 2009.

5 Singapore Customs has taken over the case for further investigations. Five persons have since been detained by the authorities for investigation. The contraband cigarettes were also seized. Upon conviction by the court, first time offenders can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty evaded and liable to a jail term not exceeding three years. For second or subsequent convictions, offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded and jailed for up to six years. The offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded.
6 As Singapore’s first line of defence against terrorist threats, the ICA has a duty to ensure the security and safety of Singapore. In a bid to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in cargo vehicle screenings, the ICA has deployed the new Integrated Cargo Inspection System (ICIS) at its border checkpoints to detect illicit items disguised as legitimate imports.

7 The ICA has also tightened security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband into Singapore. The same methods of concealment used by contraband smugglers may be used by terrorists to smuggle arms and explosives to carry out attacks in Singapore. The ICA would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.

END OF NEWS RELEASE


IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY (移民与关卡局）
1 July 2009