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We Check All...Even If You Travel with Your Family
A Singaporean man must have thought that, with his family in tow, he would not be stopped and subjected to stringent checks at Woodlands checkpoint. He must have thought that bringing his family to Johor Bahru for dinner, and smuggling in contraband cigarettes when he returned to Singapore was a foolproof plan. The 45-year-old man was in for a rude shock, when checkpoint officers stopped his car for a check and found 105 cartons of contraband cigarettes hidden in a secret compartment.
2 On 20 April 2006 at around 2155 hours, officers deployed at Woodlands checkpoint stopped a Singapore-registered car for a routine check. The driver of the car was a Singaporean woman, accompanied by her husband, her mother and daughter. This composition of family members did not make the checkpoint officers less vigilant in their checks. In the course of their search, they noticed that the car boot is smaller than usual, and there was a strong tobacco smell emanating from the boot. Smelling a rat (and tobacco as well), the officers proceeded to conduct a thorough search on the vehicle. Their efforts paid off when they detected a secret compartment in the car boot with cartons of contraband cigarettes hidden in it. A total of 105 cartons of contraband cigarettes were uncovered.
3 The husband of the driver admitted ownership to the cigarettes and revealed that he had intended to sell the cigarettes to his friends. He claimed that his family, which included his wife, his mother-in-law and his daughter, were not aware of his smuggling attempt. 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 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 would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.
2 On 20 April 2006 at around 2155 hours, officers deployed at Woodlands checkpoint stopped a Singapore-registered car for a routine check. The driver of the car was a Singaporean woman, accompanied by her husband, her mother and daughter. This composition of family members did not make the checkpoint officers less vigilant in their checks. In the course of their search, they noticed that the car boot is smaller than usual, and there was a strong tobacco smell emanating from the boot. Smelling a rat (and tobacco as well), the officers proceeded to conduct a thorough search on the vehicle. Their efforts paid off when they detected a secret compartment in the car boot with cartons of contraband cigarettes hidden in it. A total of 105 cartons of contraband cigarettes were uncovered.
3 The husband of the driver admitted ownership to the cigarettes and revealed that he had intended to sell the cigarettes to his friends. He claimed that his family, which included his wife, his mother-in-law and his daughter, were not aware of his smuggling attempt. 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 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 would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.