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Excuse Me Sir - This is the Land, Not Sea Checkpoint
What has a pair of swimming trunks and socks have in common? Well, by the very fact that both are naturally elastic, they can be made to hold more than what they were originally made for.
2 On 1 Mar 2007, at about 0755 hrs, a male Malay Singaporean coming through the arrival bus hall at Woodlands Checkpoint was found by the checkpoint officer to be behaving suspiciously. A quick visual scan by the officer found unusual “bulges” around the man. He was immediately directed for more thorough checks.
3 During the checks, duty-unpaid cigarettes were found stuffed inside his socks. More cigarettes were later retrieved from the swimming trunks which he was wearing, strapped closely to his waistline. About 24 packets of assorted tobacco and 33 packets of assorted brands of cigarettes were found.
4 When questioned, the 45-year old man admitted ownership of the exhibits and claimed that he had bought them for his own consumption, as well as for sale to his colleagues and friends. The subject and exhibits were subsequently referred to Singapore Customs for investigations. The total Customs Duties and GST payable was estimated at about $680 and $50 respectively.
Related penalties
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 1 Mar 2007, at about 0755 hrs, a male Malay Singaporean coming through the arrival bus hall at Woodlands Checkpoint was found by the checkpoint officer to be behaving suspiciously. A quick visual scan by the officer found unusual “bulges” around the man. He was immediately directed for more thorough checks.
3 During the checks, duty-unpaid cigarettes were found stuffed inside his socks. More cigarettes were later retrieved from the swimming trunks which he was wearing, strapped closely to his waistline. About 24 packets of assorted tobacco and 33 packets of assorted brands of cigarettes were found.
4 When questioned, the 45-year old man admitted ownership of the exhibits and claimed that he had bought them for his own consumption, as well as for sale to his colleagues and friends. The subject and exhibits were subsequently referred to Singapore Customs for investigations. The total Customs Duties and GST payable was estimated at about $680 and $50 respectively.
Related penalties
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.