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ICA Prevents Contraband Cigarettes From ‘Sleeping’ Through Woodlands Checkpoint.
A Malaysian man probably thought that he could rest easy, as it was unlikely that the ICA officers at Woodlands checkpoint would detect the contraband cigarettes hidden in the divan beds that he was delivering. He was given a rude awakening when ICA officers uncovered the hidden contraband cigarettes in the divan beds. A total of 3,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were recovered.
2 On 24 April 2006 at about 0940 hours, the Malaysia-registered bonded truck driven by the man was stopped at Woodlands checkpoint for a routine check. A scan was done on the truck using the radiographic scanner and the image produced by the radiographic scanner suggested that there were other items hidden in the divan beds. The ICA officers sprang into action and did a physical check on the contents of the truck. The officers removed the base of a divan bed and found 200 cartons of contraband cigarettes in the bed. A total of 3,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found in the 15 divan beds in the truck.
3 The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$211,200 and S$13,500 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. In 2005, about 1,600 immigration offenders were arrested at the checkpoints either trying to enter or leave Singapore illegally. ICA also detected about 17,000 cases of contraband-smuggling cases in 2005. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods and persons into and out of Singapore.
2 On 24 April 2006 at about 0940 hours, the Malaysia-registered bonded truck driven by the man was stopped at Woodlands checkpoint for a routine check. A scan was done on the truck using the radiographic scanner and the image produced by the radiographic scanner suggested that there were other items hidden in the divan beds. The ICA officers sprang into action and did a physical check on the contents of the truck. The officers removed the base of a divan bed and found 200 cartons of contraband cigarettes in the bed. A total of 3,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found in the 15 divan beds in the truck.
3 The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$211,200 and S$13,500 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. In 2005, about 1,600 immigration offenders were arrested at the checkpoints either trying to enter or leave Singapore illegally. ICA also detected about 17,000 cases of contraband-smuggling cases in 2005. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods and persons into and out of Singapore.