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Placing his Bet on the Wrong “Chips”
They tried all means and ways to smuggle in contraband cigarettes into Singapore. From secret compartments in vehicles to modified floorboards, coffins and many other ingenious concealment methods, these smugglers tried to outwit the officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority. For this time round, the smuggler placed his bet on the wrong “chips” by hiding the contraband cigarettes among boxes of potato chips.
2 On 3 October 2007 at about 7.30 am, a Malaysia-registered truck driven by a male Malaysian driver arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint. The truck was declared to be carrying a consignment of 534 cartons of potato chips. However, the vigilant ICA officer manning the radiographic scanner noticed anomalies in the scanned image of the cargo and alerted his colleagues to conduct further checks. During the course of checks, the officers noticed a difference in the weight of the boxes of potato chips. Upon opening the heavier box, cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in it. A total of 5,500 cartons x 200 sticks of contraband cigarettes were found hidden in the boxes.
3 The 25 year-old Malay driver was immediately placed under arrest. He denied knowledge of the items found. He claimed to have been paid RM80 to deliver the consignment to Singapore. The total market value of the cigarettes is about $495,000, while the customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved are estimated to be S$387,200 and $34,650 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 3 October 2007 at about 7.30 am, a Malaysia-registered truck driven by a male Malaysian driver arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint. The truck was declared to be carrying a consignment of 534 cartons of potato chips. However, the vigilant ICA officer manning the radiographic scanner noticed anomalies in the scanned image of the cargo and alerted his colleagues to conduct further checks. During the course of checks, the officers noticed a difference in the weight of the boxes of potato chips. Upon opening the heavier box, cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in it. A total of 5,500 cartons x 200 sticks of contraband cigarettes were found hidden in the boxes.
3 The 25 year-old Malay driver was immediately placed under arrest. He denied knowledge of the items found. He claimed to have been paid RM80 to deliver the consignment to Singapore. The total market value of the cigarettes is about $495,000, while the customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved are estimated to be S$387,200 and $34,650 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.