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No Reprieve Even for a “Rich Man’s Car”
It is human tendency to “judge a book by its cover”, and to accord more respect and niceties to people deemed to be of a higher standing in society. Such presumptions however, are often not true in the context of security. We at the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) know this. With syndicates and criminal elements constantly trying to find new ways through our security setups, ICA spares no effort to ensure the impartiality of checks conducted at our Checkpoints.
2 On 6 Jun 2007, at about 1900 hrs, ICA officers from Woodlands Checkpoint diverted an arriving Malaysia-registered car for further checks at the inspection pit. The said vehicle was a gleaming Mercedes Benz.
3 In the course of the checks, 100 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden within the vehicle. Part of it was retrieved from under the rear seats of the vehicle, while the remaining was taken out from a secret compartment between the back rest and the fuel tank. The driver, a Malaysian Chinese male aged 29, acknowledged the presence of the cigarettes and claimed that he was offered RM$500 for a successful delivery into Singapore. He also admitted that the vehicle was not his.
4 The customs duty and GST payable in this case is estimated to be about $7000 and $450 respectively. The exhibits, vehicle and driver were handed over to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.
5 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
6 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 6 Jun 2007, at about 1900 hrs, ICA officers from Woodlands Checkpoint diverted an arriving Malaysia-registered car for further checks at the inspection pit. The said vehicle was a gleaming Mercedes Benz.
3 In the course of the checks, 100 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden within the vehicle. Part of it was retrieved from under the rear seats of the vehicle, while the remaining was taken out from a secret compartment between the back rest and the fuel tank. The driver, a Malaysian Chinese male aged 29, acknowledged the presence of the cigarettes and claimed that he was offered RM$500 for a successful delivery into Singapore. He also admitted that the vehicle was not his.
4 The customs duty and GST payable in this case is estimated to be about $7000 and $450 respectively. The exhibits, vehicle and driver were handed over to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.
5 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
6 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.