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Alert ICA Officers Detect Excess Luggage in Tour Bus's Secret Compartment
Smug-g-lers Smug-g-lers
try us ‘n be dismay!
It’s no fun to be caught by
our checkpoint officers hey!
Smug-g-lers Smug-g-lers
try us ‘n be dismay!
It’s no fun to be caught by
our checkpoint officers hey!
(Sung to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’)
There will be no cheer for two smugglers this Christmas when their attempts to smuggle in cartons of contraband cigarettes was foiled by alert ICA officers at the land checkpoints. At Tuas, 1450 cartons of cigarettes were found on a tour bus, hidden in secret compartments in the floorboard underneath the two rows of passenger seats. At Woodlands, 43 cartons of cigarettes were found hidden in the boot of the car.
2 On 17 Dec 2006 at around 1530 hours, ICA officers deployed at Tuas checkpoint singled out a Singapore-registered tour bus for a routine check, after the passengers had disembarked for immigration clearance. A thorough check was conducted after a radiographic scan using the Z Backscatter Van revealed images of boxes hidden underneath the floorboard at the passenger seats. Upon removing the floorboard, ICA officers found contraband cigarettes hidden in the boxes therein. The 38-year-old male Singaporean male driver was immediately placed under arrest and the vehicle seized. A total of 1450 cartons x 200 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in the secret compartments. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$102,000 and S$6,500 respectively.
3 In another case at Woodlands checkpoint, officers stopped a male Singaporean’s smuggling attempt in its track on 16 Dec 06 at about 1655 hours. The 40-year-old driver was visibly nervous when his car was singled out for a routine check. This did not escape the eyes of the officers checking his car, and a thorough check uncovered 43 cartons of contraband cigarettes beneath the flap of his car boot. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$3,000 and S$190 respectively.
4 These two cases had been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. 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.
5 ICA will continue to remain vigilant, including and especially during the peak periods, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the peak period to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. 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 contraband items. We will like to advise travellers not to bring in unlawful/prohibited goods into Singapore, as this will inconvenience them and other checkpoint users. A (non-exhaustive) list of controlled and prohibited items can be found on the ICA website at http://www.ica.gov.sg under ‘Travellers Information Guide’.
try us ‘n be dismay!
It’s no fun to be caught by
our checkpoint officers hey!
Smug-g-lers Smug-g-lers
try us ‘n be dismay!
It’s no fun to be caught by
our checkpoint officers hey!
(Sung to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’)
There will be no cheer for two smugglers this Christmas when their attempts to smuggle in cartons of contraband cigarettes was foiled by alert ICA officers at the land checkpoints. At Tuas, 1450 cartons of cigarettes were found on a tour bus, hidden in secret compartments in the floorboard underneath the two rows of passenger seats. At Woodlands, 43 cartons of cigarettes were found hidden in the boot of the car.
2 On 17 Dec 2006 at around 1530 hours, ICA officers deployed at Tuas checkpoint singled out a Singapore-registered tour bus for a routine check, after the passengers had disembarked for immigration clearance. A thorough check was conducted after a radiographic scan using the Z Backscatter Van revealed images of boxes hidden underneath the floorboard at the passenger seats. Upon removing the floorboard, ICA officers found contraband cigarettes hidden in the boxes therein. The 38-year-old male Singaporean male driver was immediately placed under arrest and the vehicle seized. A total of 1450 cartons x 200 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found hidden in the secret compartments. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$102,000 and S$6,500 respectively.
3 In another case at Woodlands checkpoint, officers stopped a male Singaporean’s smuggling attempt in its track on 16 Dec 06 at about 1655 hours. The 40-year-old driver was visibly nervous when his car was singled out for a routine check. This did not escape the eyes of the officers checking his car, and a thorough check uncovered 43 cartons of contraband cigarettes beneath the flap of his car boot. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$3,000 and S$190 respectively.
4 These two cases had been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. 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.
5 ICA will continue to remain vigilant, including and especially during the peak periods, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the peak period to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. 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 contraband items. We will like to advise travellers not to bring in unlawful/prohibited goods into Singapore, as this will inconvenience them and other checkpoint users. A (non-exhaustive) list of controlled and prohibited items can be found on the ICA website at http://www.ica.gov.sg under ‘Travellers Information Guide’.