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Natural Gas Does Not Include Cigarette Smoke
A minor, unusual cut-mark on the gas tank of a vehicle, an atypical hose fitting on the gas tank. Such inconspicuous signs would have gone unnoticed for most people, but trivial as they may seem, officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) spotted the differences during their brief checks. It was dismal news for the smuggler when he knew that his attempt had been thwarted by ICA.
2 On 4 February 2009 at about 0655hrs, a Malaysia-registered car driven by a male Malaysian arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint. From a sticker at the car boot, the officers learnt that the conveyance was a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV). One of the officers apparently found the gas tank odd and took a closer look. True to his instincts and sharp eyes, this is not the usual steel gas tank that one would install in a car to cut fuel costs. Upon closer inspection, the officers found an unusual cut-mark (in the form of an opening) at the back of the natural gas tank. The opening was held in place with a piece of wire at the top of the opening. The hose fitting from the gas tank was also noticed to be a plastic flexi hose instead of the typical rubber hose found fitted on gas tanks.
Can you spot the tell-tale signs – the cut mark and the wire?
Who would know that this is the wrong hose?
3 The smuggler had attempted to throw the officers off track by making the modifications appear ordinary and unnoticeable. And we are sure that any man on the street would know that natural gas does not include cigarette smoke, and this, would be the major slip-up for the smuggler. Regardless of his lone, painstaking efforts, the ICA officers uncovered a haul of 70 cartons x 200’s of duty-unpaid cigarettes stashed behind the rear seat backrest and modified fiberglass CNG (compressed natural gas) tank. The potential Customs duty and GST payable for the contrabands amount to about S$4,900 and S$450 respectively.
Stowaway cigarettes from their hiding places
4 The 23-year-old Malay driver admitted knowledge of the loot detected. The unemployed man further revealed that to prevent detection by officers, he had installed the fake fiberglass natural gas tank in the car at a cost of about RM200 instead of a real steel tank which would cost about RM3000. According to him, he had paid RM2100 for the cigarettes and would be delivering the stash to a place at Woodlands. A Malay man by the name of "Jack Tattoo" would contact him and purchase the cigarettes from him at S$50 per carton.
5 The case was referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigations. 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. The car used in conveying this contraband will also be liable for forfeiture.
6 Under the Customs Act as well as the Immigration Act, vehicles used in the smuggling of contraband items or illegal immigrants will be seized and are liable to be forfeited. For coaches, buses and lorries, it is the responsibility of logistics companies and bus owners operating across the borders to ensure that their vehicles are not used for smuggling unlawful goods or persons into Singapore as they would ultimately have to bear the cost of their employees’ wrongdoings.
7 Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’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.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
5 FEBRUARY 2009
2 On 4 February 2009 at about 0655hrs, a Malaysia-registered car driven by a male Malaysian arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint. From a sticker at the car boot, the officers learnt that the conveyance was a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV). One of the officers apparently found the gas tank odd and took a closer look. True to his instincts and sharp eyes, this is not the usual steel gas tank that one would install in a car to cut fuel costs. Upon closer inspection, the officers found an unusual cut-mark (in the form of an opening) at the back of the natural gas tank. The opening was held in place with a piece of wire at the top of the opening. The hose fitting from the gas tank was also noticed to be a plastic flexi hose instead of the typical rubber hose found fitted on gas tanks.
Can you spot the tell-tale signs – the cut mark and the wire?
Who would know that this is the wrong hose?
3 The smuggler had attempted to throw the officers off track by making the modifications appear ordinary and unnoticeable. And we are sure that any man on the street would know that natural gas does not include cigarette smoke, and this, would be the major slip-up for the smuggler. Regardless of his lone, painstaking efforts, the ICA officers uncovered a haul of 70 cartons x 200’s of duty-unpaid cigarettes stashed behind the rear seat backrest and modified fiberglass CNG (compressed natural gas) tank. The potential Customs duty and GST payable for the contrabands amount to about S$4,900 and S$450 respectively.
Stowaway cigarettes from their hiding places
4 The 23-year-old Malay driver admitted knowledge of the loot detected. The unemployed man further revealed that to prevent detection by officers, he had installed the fake fiberglass natural gas tank in the car at a cost of about RM200 instead of a real steel tank which would cost about RM3000. According to him, he had paid RM2100 for the cigarettes and would be delivering the stash to a place at Woodlands. A Malay man by the name of "Jack Tattoo" would contact him and purchase the cigarettes from him at S$50 per carton.
5 The case was referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigations. 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. The car used in conveying this contraband will also be liable for forfeiture.
6 Under the Customs Act as well as the Immigration Act, vehicles used in the smuggling of contraband items or illegal immigrants will be seized and are liable to be forfeited. For coaches, buses and lorries, it is the responsibility of logistics companies and bus owners operating across the borders to ensure that their vehicles are not used for smuggling unlawful goods or persons into Singapore as they would ultimately have to bear the cost of their employees’ wrongdoings.
7 Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’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.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
5 FEBRUARY 2009