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Action Taken Against Driver With Small Melons
Actually, we did not take issue with the size of the melons. Really.
Case 1
2. A lorry, which was declared to be carrying a consignment of 50 packages of fresh watermelons, had arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint on 23 May 2007, at around 3.20am. Our officers¡¦ suspicions arose when they noticed that there were only sparse baskets of low-quality small watermelons onboard.
3. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers then decided to carry out further checks. After removing the floorboards at the back of the lorry, the four officers found cartons of cigarettes hidden in a secret compartment lined with black carbon paper. All in all, 1,225 cartons and 250 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were uncovered. The total Customs duties and GST involved are estimated to be about S$88,000 and S$5,625 respectively. When interviewed, the lone driver, a 28-year-old Malaysian male, claimed that he was unaware of the cigarettes.
Other cases detected
4. This was not the only case that ICA had detected this morning. Simultaneously at around 7am, four other cars were detected to be carrying duty-unpaid cigarettes. The four cars displayed various tell-tale signs of tampering:
Vehicle and driver Tell-tale signs
Car 1
(Driven by a male Malaysian, 28, and accompanied by a male passenger, 48.)
ľ When the boot was opened for routine checks, there was a strong smell of tobacco.
ľ The speaker box in the boot was placed in an odd position.
Car 2
(Driven by a lone Malaysian male, aged 31)
ľ The floorboard within the car was unusually high.
Car 3
(Driven by a lone Malaysian male, aged 27)
ľ The rear bumper produced odd sounds when tapped.
ľ The floorboard within the car was unusually high.
Car 4
(Driven by a lone Malaysian male, aged 24)
ľ The rear bumper produced odd sounds when tapped.
ľ The cushion of the backseat was unusually hard.
5. Radiographic scans of the cars also displayed anomalies in the scanned images. When thorough checks were conducted on the vehicles, duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in various parts of the cars, such as under the floorboards, within the seats and speaker box.
6. A total of 323 cartons and 1,575 packets of cigarettes were retrieved from the four cars. The total Customs duties and GST involved are estimated to be about S$33,827 and S$2,162 respectively. When interviewed, all drivers admitted that they were aware of the hidden cigarettes.
Total market value
7. The total market value of the cigarettes seized from the lorry and cars is estimated to be about $155,700.
Referral to Singapore Customs
8. The men, the vehicles and the cigarettes have been handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.
Related penalties
9. 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
10. 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.
Case 1
2. A lorry, which was declared to be carrying a consignment of 50 packages of fresh watermelons, had arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint on 23 May 2007, at around 3.20am. Our officers¡¦ suspicions arose when they noticed that there were only sparse baskets of low-quality small watermelons onboard.
3. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers then decided to carry out further checks. After removing the floorboards at the back of the lorry, the four officers found cartons of cigarettes hidden in a secret compartment lined with black carbon paper. All in all, 1,225 cartons and 250 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were uncovered. The total Customs duties and GST involved are estimated to be about S$88,000 and S$5,625 respectively. When interviewed, the lone driver, a 28-year-old Malaysian male, claimed that he was unaware of the cigarettes.
Other cases detected
4. This was not the only case that ICA had detected this morning. Simultaneously at around 7am, four other cars were detected to be carrying duty-unpaid cigarettes. The four cars displayed various tell-tale signs of tampering:
Vehicle and driver Tell-tale signs
Car 1
(Driven by a male Malaysian, 28, and accompanied by a male passenger, 48.)
ľ When the boot was opened for routine checks, there was a strong smell of tobacco.
ľ The speaker box in the boot was placed in an odd position.
Car 2
(Driven by a lone Malaysian male, aged 31)
ľ The floorboard within the car was unusually high.
Car 3
(Driven by a lone Malaysian male, aged 27)
ľ The rear bumper produced odd sounds when tapped.
ľ The floorboard within the car was unusually high.
Car 4
(Driven by a lone Malaysian male, aged 24)
ľ The rear bumper produced odd sounds when tapped.
ľ The cushion of the backseat was unusually hard.
5. Radiographic scans of the cars also displayed anomalies in the scanned images. When thorough checks were conducted on the vehicles, duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in various parts of the cars, such as under the floorboards, within the seats and speaker box.
6. A total of 323 cartons and 1,575 packets of cigarettes were retrieved from the four cars. The total Customs duties and GST involved are estimated to be about S$33,827 and S$2,162 respectively. When interviewed, all drivers admitted that they were aware of the hidden cigarettes.
Total market value
7. The total market value of the cigarettes seized from the lorry and cars is estimated to be about $155,700.
Referral to Singapore Customs
8. The men, the vehicles and the cigarettes have been handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.
Related penalties
9. 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
10. 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.