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Smuggling Attempt Foiled By ICA at Woodlands Checkpoint
If the Malaysian smugglers had thought that they had the perfect smokescreen – a secret compartment in a Malaysia-registered bus, they were wrong. On 29 Aug 2006, ICA officers at the Woodlands Checkpoint exposed the secret compartment and the 1,300 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in it.
2 On 29 Aug 06 at about 1715 hours, ICA officers deployed at Woodlands checkpoint boarded the bus for a routine check. In the course of their search, the alert officers discovered a modified compartment at the rear of the vehicle. A total of 1,300 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found hidden in the compartment. Both the 37-year-old Malaysian driver and his 30-year-old compatriot were arrested and the vehicle seized.
3 ICA officers quickly activated the newly acquired Z Backscatter Van to perform an X-ray scan on the vehicle to ensure that no other contraband is hidden in the vehicle. Though no other secret compartment was found during the scan, the mobile X-ray scanning system showed its potency by clearly revealing the presence of contraband cigarettes hidden in the secret compartment.
4 Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver was paid RM150 to drive the bus into Singapore and his passenger was paid RM100 to assist in unloading the cigarettes subsequently. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$91,500 and S$5,900 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.
5 The acquisition and deployment of the Z Backscatter Van at the checkpoints is part of ICA’s security arrangements for Singapore 2006 (S2006). ICA has also boosted its counterterrorism capabilities by acquiring portable equipment to detect the presence of explosives, radiation and chemical warfare agents at the land, sea and air checkpoints. Given the current security climate, ICA has taken the necessary steps to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, weapons, explosives and other security items that may compromise the safety of Singapore. The stepped-up checks have yielded results. In the first six months of 2006, ICA detected about 10,400 smuggling cases at the checkpoints.
2 On 29 Aug 06 at about 1715 hours, ICA officers deployed at Woodlands checkpoint boarded the bus for a routine check. In the course of their search, the alert officers discovered a modified compartment at the rear of the vehicle. A total of 1,300 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found hidden in the compartment. Both the 37-year-old Malaysian driver and his 30-year-old compatriot were arrested and the vehicle seized.
3 ICA officers quickly activated the newly acquired Z Backscatter Van to perform an X-ray scan on the vehicle to ensure that no other contraband is hidden in the vehicle. Though no other secret compartment was found during the scan, the mobile X-ray scanning system showed its potency by clearly revealing the presence of contraband cigarettes hidden in the secret compartment.
4 Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver was paid RM150 to drive the bus into Singapore and his passenger was paid RM100 to assist in unloading the cigarettes subsequently. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$91,500 and S$5,900 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.
5 The acquisition and deployment of the Z Backscatter Van at the checkpoints is part of ICA’s security arrangements for Singapore 2006 (S2006). ICA has also boosted its counterterrorism capabilities by acquiring portable equipment to detect the presence of explosives, radiation and chemical warfare agents at the land, sea and air checkpoints. Given the current security climate, ICA has taken the necessary steps to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, weapons, explosives and other security items that may compromise the safety of Singapore. The stepped-up checks have yielded results. In the first six months of 2006, ICA detected about 10,400 smuggling cases at the checkpoints.