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The Boxes are Empty? Yeah, Right…
The cigarette smuggler did not count on the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) conducting further checks when the goods were blandly declared as “3,048 pieces of unbranded paper boxes”. The unused paper boxes lay innocuously in flat stacks on top of a lorry.
2. Unfortunately for him, the vigilant and meticulous ICA officers conducted further checks when they noted irregularities from the gamma ray scan of the goods. The Malaysian-registered lorry had arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint on 25 January 2007 at around 8.55am. Upon closer examination, ICA officers found cartons of cigarettes, wrapped with carbon paper hidden within cut-out hollow spaces in the centre of the stacks of paper boxes. The carbon paper was a probable attempt to thwart the radiographic scan, but it was unsuccessful. The driver, a 43-year-old Malaysian was immediately placed under arrest.
3. A total of 3,237 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were retrieved from the lorry. Every carton was individually wrapped in carbon paper. The total Customs duties and GST involved are estimated to be $277,900 and $14,600 respectively. The estimated market value of the cigarettes is $291,330.
4. The case has been handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.
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. Unfortunately for him, the vigilant and meticulous ICA officers conducted further checks when they noted irregularities from the gamma ray scan of the goods. The Malaysian-registered lorry had arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint on 25 January 2007 at around 8.55am. Upon closer examination, ICA officers found cartons of cigarettes, wrapped with carbon paper hidden within cut-out hollow spaces in the centre of the stacks of paper boxes. The carbon paper was a probable attempt to thwart the radiographic scan, but it was unsuccessful. The driver, a 43-year-old Malaysian was immediately placed under arrest.
3. A total of 3,237 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were retrieved from the lorry. Every carton was individually wrapped in carbon paper. The total Customs duties and GST involved are estimated to be $277,900 and $14,600 respectively. The estimated market value of the cigarettes is $291,330.
4. The case has been handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.
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.