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“Culinary Delights” of Cigarettes
Over the past few days, the vigilant officers at the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) were treated to a feast of “culinary delights”. From contraband cigarettes hidden among boxes of potato chips to baskets of vegetables and a consignment of canned drinks, the officers uncovered another attempt to smuggle contraband cigarettes on a consignment declared to be carrying crackers and ikan bilis.
2 On 9 October 2007 at about 10.45 pm, a Singapore-registered lorry laden with a consignment of declared grocery items arrived at the PSA Tanjong Pagar Gate 1 for clearance. While undergoing the routine checks, the sharp-eyed ICA officer noticed some cartons of contraband cigarettes hidden among the boxes of ikan bilis and crackers. Following the detailed checks conducted by ICA officers, a total of 930 cartons of contraband cigarettes were retrieved among the boxes.
3 The customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved are estimated to be S$78,100 and $6,400 respectively. The case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigations. Upon conviction by the court, first time offenders can be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of duty evaded. For second or subsequent convictions, offenders can be jailed for up to two years, as well as being fined. The offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded.
Security at our checkpoints
4 As our country's first line of defence against terrorist threats, ICA has a duty to ensure the security and safety of Singapore. 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 contraband. 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. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.
2 On 9 October 2007 at about 10.45 pm, a Singapore-registered lorry laden with a consignment of declared grocery items arrived at the PSA Tanjong Pagar Gate 1 for clearance. While undergoing the routine checks, the sharp-eyed ICA officer noticed some cartons of contraband cigarettes hidden among the boxes of ikan bilis and crackers. Following the detailed checks conducted by ICA officers, a total of 930 cartons of contraband cigarettes were retrieved among the boxes.
3 The customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved are estimated to be S$78,100 and $6,400 respectively. The case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigations. Upon conviction by the court, first time offenders can be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of duty evaded. For second or subsequent convictions, offenders can be jailed for up to two years, as well as being fined. The offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded.
Security at our checkpoints
4 As our country's first line of defence against terrorist threats, ICA has a duty to ensure the security and safety of Singapore. 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 contraband. 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. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.