Back to top
Cheese Prata, Ice-Cream Prata… But Cigarette Prata?
Officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) found the new flavour of prata a little hard to swallow…
2. The case was detected on 8 January 2007, around 6.30am at the Woodlands Checkpoint, where a Malaysian motorcyclist was stopped for further checks. Two packets of illicit cigarettes were soon found wrapped within some roti prata, and another two packets were hidden within a packet of rice. More cigarettes were found in his jacket and tucked around his waist. A total of eleven packets of cigarettes were uncovered.
3. Realising that his game was up, the driver admitted ownership of the items. He claimed that he intended to sell the cigarettes to his friends.
4. The man and his cigarettes have been handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.
Related penalties
5. Offenders may be fined up to $5,000 or may be prosecuted in court. For a packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes, the offence may be compounded for a minimum of $200 or prosecuted in court. If convicted 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. The case was detected on 8 January 2007, around 6.30am at the Woodlands Checkpoint, where a Malaysian motorcyclist was stopped for further checks. Two packets of illicit cigarettes were soon found wrapped within some roti prata, and another two packets were hidden within a packet of rice. More cigarettes were found in his jacket and tucked around his waist. A total of eleven packets of cigarettes were uncovered.
3. Realising that his game was up, the driver admitted ownership of the items. He claimed that he intended to sell the cigarettes to his friends.
4. The man and his cigarettes have been handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.
Related penalties
5. Offenders may be fined up to $5,000 or may be prosecuted in court. For a packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes, the offence may be compounded for a minimum of $200 or prosecuted in court. If convicted 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.