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The Day the Lights Went Out On a Disc Smuggler
A Singaporean man thought that he could smuggle his secret cache of uncensored discs into Singapore by hiding them in secret compartments in his car. Alas, he realised that he could not keep any secrets from ICA when his smuggling attempt was foiled by officers at Woodlands Checkpoint. A total of 3,745 pieces of illegal discs were found in his car.
2 On 25 Jul 06 at around 0100hours, the 21-year-old Singaporean was driving a Singapore-registered car through Woodlands Checkpoint when he was stopped by a checkpoint officer for a routine check. The man appeared very fidgety and nervous as the officer was checking his car. This aroused the suspicions of the officer, and a thorough check was conducted on the man and his car. In the course of the check, the eagle-eyed officer noticed that the tail-lights of the car had been tampered with, and found a few bundles of discs wrapped in plastic bags and secured by masking tape hidden behind the tail-lights. The officer also detected a specially constructed compartment at the floorboard of the car and found more discs hidden in it. A total of 3,745 pieces of music discs, software and computer games were uncovered. The driver was immediately placed under arrest and the vehicle seized.
3 Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver was promised about S$100 to deliver the illegal discs from Malaysia to Singapore. The case has been referred to Police for further investigation.
4 Under Copyright Act (Cap 63), persons found guilty of selling or distributing articles of any work in which copyright or trademark subsists are liable to a fine of up to $10,000/- per article (or up to a maximum fine of $100,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 5 years.
5 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’.
2 On 25 Jul 06 at around 0100hours, the 21-year-old Singaporean was driving a Singapore-registered car through Woodlands Checkpoint when he was stopped by a checkpoint officer for a routine check. The man appeared very fidgety and nervous as the officer was checking his car. This aroused the suspicions of the officer, and a thorough check was conducted on the man and his car. In the course of the check, the eagle-eyed officer noticed that the tail-lights of the car had been tampered with, and found a few bundles of discs wrapped in plastic bags and secured by masking tape hidden behind the tail-lights. The officer also detected a specially constructed compartment at the floorboard of the car and found more discs hidden in it. A total of 3,745 pieces of music discs, software and computer games were uncovered. The driver was immediately placed under arrest and the vehicle seized.
3 Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver was promised about S$100 to deliver the illegal discs from Malaysia to Singapore. The case has been referred to Police for further investigation.
4 Under Copyright Act (Cap 63), persons found guilty of selling or distributing articles of any work in which copyright or trademark subsists are liable to a fine of up to $10,000/- per article (or up to a maximum fine of $100,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 5 years.
5 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’.