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Smuggling Attempt Fizzled Out
First, they tried to bring in the “munchy” cigarettes by hiding the 5,500 cartons of contraband cigarettes among boxes of potato chips. Next, it was the “high fibre” ones, with the stash of 3,250 cartons of contraband cigarettes hidden among baskets of vegetables. And now, the smuggler’s attempt to hide them within a consignment declared to be containing canned drinks was fizzled out by the vigilant officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.
2 On 4 October 2007 at about 3.00 pm, a 20-footer container truck laden with a consignment of declared canned drinks arrived at the Pasir Panjang Scanning Station for radiographic scanning. While undergoing the scanning, the sharp-eyed ICA officer noticed inconsistencies in the image density of the declared goods. This aroused his suspicions and the container truck was immediately referred for detailed checks.
3 When the container door was opened, the officer found the container to be fully stuffed with assorted canned drinks. Some of the drinks cartons were found to be damaged. And hidden deep within the boxes of canned drinks, the officer found cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes. A total of 6,396 cartons x 200 sticks of contraband cigarettes were retrieved.
4 The customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved are estimated to be S$450,300 and $40,300 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
5 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 4 October 2007 at about 3.00 pm, a 20-footer container truck laden with a consignment of declared canned drinks arrived at the Pasir Panjang Scanning Station for radiographic scanning. While undergoing the scanning, the sharp-eyed ICA officer noticed inconsistencies in the image density of the declared goods. This aroused his suspicions and the container truck was immediately referred for detailed checks.
3 When the container door was opened, the officer found the container to be fully stuffed with assorted canned drinks. Some of the drinks cartons were found to be damaged. And hidden deep within the boxes of canned drinks, the officer found cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes. A total of 6,396 cartons x 200 sticks of contraband cigarettes were retrieved.
4 The customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved are estimated to be S$450,300 and $40,300 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
5 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.