Back to top
Bag of Surprises
Christmas may be round the corner, and Santa Clauses are starting to make their rounds in the malls with their bags of surprises. However, the Malaysian man caught at Woodlands checkpoint was certainly no Santa, even though he had a bag of ‘surprises’ with him. Checkpoint officers found a total of 19 packets of contraband cigarettes hidden in his haversack and in a thermos flask during a routine check.
2 On 22 Nov 06 at about 1710 hours, an officer deployed at Woodlands checkpoint directed a Singapore-registered motorcycle for a routine check. The rider appeared very nervous in the course of the check. This raised the officer’s suspicions and a thorough check was conducted on the motorcycle and the rider, a Malaysian Chinese man. The officer’s suspicions were confirmed when he and his colleagues detected 13 packets of contraband cigarettes hidden in a specially constructed compartment in his haversack. The cigarettes were sandwiched between two red hard covers and hidden in the inner lining at the back of the haversack. Another six packets were found in a thermos flask in the bag. The 40-year-old man, a Work Permit holder was immediately placed under arrest and his motorcycle seized. Preliminary investigations showed that he had bought the cigarettes in Johor Bahru and had intended to sell them to his colleagues in Singapore for a profit.
3 The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$135 and S$9 respectively. The case has 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.
4 Being the guardian of Singapore’s checkpoints, ICA is acutely aware that our borders are the first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore’s security against possible terrorist attacks. The increased security checks at all our checkpoints are critical to our nation’s security, especially since terrorism remains a clear and present threat to Singapore. ICA now conducts 100 per cent checks on persons, cargo and conveyances that pass through our checkpoints. These enhanced security checks have been effective in helping to detect cases of smuggling illegal goods and illegal immigrants. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods and persons into and out of Singapore.
2 On 22 Nov 06 at about 1710 hours, an officer deployed at Woodlands checkpoint directed a Singapore-registered motorcycle for a routine check. The rider appeared very nervous in the course of the check. This raised the officer’s suspicions and a thorough check was conducted on the motorcycle and the rider, a Malaysian Chinese man. The officer’s suspicions were confirmed when he and his colleagues detected 13 packets of contraband cigarettes hidden in a specially constructed compartment in his haversack. The cigarettes were sandwiched between two red hard covers and hidden in the inner lining at the back of the haversack. Another six packets were found in a thermos flask in the bag. The 40-year-old man, a Work Permit holder was immediately placed under arrest and his motorcycle seized. Preliminary investigations showed that he had bought the cigarettes in Johor Bahru and had intended to sell them to his colleagues in Singapore for a profit.
3 The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$135 and S$9 respectively. The case has 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.
4 Being the guardian of Singapore’s checkpoints, ICA is acutely aware that our borders are the first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore’s security against possible terrorist attacks. The increased security checks at all our checkpoints are critical to our nation’s security, especially since terrorism remains a clear and present threat to Singapore. ICA now conducts 100 per cent checks on persons, cargo and conveyances that pass through our checkpoints. These enhanced security checks have been effective in helping to detect cases of smuggling illegal goods and illegal immigrants. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods and persons into and out of Singapore.