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Double Bill From ICA
Officers deployed at Woodlands Checkpoint foiled two separate attempts to smuggle contraband cigarettes into Singapore. In both cases, the smugglers had tried to hide their contraband cigarettes in various parts of their cars. A total of 1,160 sticks of cigarettes were uncovered in the two cases.
Case 1 - K-9 officer sniffs out driver’s hot seat
2 On 15 Mar 06 at about 2215 hours, a Singapore-registered car was stopped by a K-9 officer for a routine check at the Arrival Car Green Channel. The male Singaporean driver appeared nervous as the officer checked the vehicle. In the course of his search, the officer found two cartons of cigarettes hidden in the driver seat and another carton in a compartment under the steering wheel. The 28-year-old driver admitted that the cigarettes were bought in Malaysia and were meant for his consumption.
Case 2 - Err…is your radio tuned in to WIIFM?
3 People make decisions by tuning into the ‘radio station’ WIIFM, a.k.a What’s In It For Me. A Singaporean man obviously did not tune into WIIFM when he decided to smuggle contraband cigarettes into Singapore on 16 Mar 06 at about 0400 hours. If he had, he would have considered the success enjoyed by ICA in thwarting smuggling cases and realised that he had nothing to gain from it. The 47-year-old man’s game was up when ICA officers uncovered 29 packets of contraband cigarettes inside the car radio compartment of his car during a routine check. Another packet of cigarette was found under the floormat and two packets of shag tobacco were found inside the man’s rear trousers pockets.
4 Preliminary investigations showed that the driver had bought the contraband cigarettes and shag tobacco in Malaysia for his and his brother’s consumption. The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
5 The two cases were 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.
6 ICA has tightened security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband. We would like to warn the public to think twice before they attempt to smuggle unlawful goods illegally into Singapore as our officers at the checkpoints maintain a high level of vigilance at all times and are trained to profile potential offenders.
Case 1 - K-9 officer sniffs out driver’s hot seat
2 On 15 Mar 06 at about 2215 hours, a Singapore-registered car was stopped by a K-9 officer for a routine check at the Arrival Car Green Channel. The male Singaporean driver appeared nervous as the officer checked the vehicle. In the course of his search, the officer found two cartons of cigarettes hidden in the driver seat and another carton in a compartment under the steering wheel. The 28-year-old driver admitted that the cigarettes were bought in Malaysia and were meant for his consumption.
Case 2 - Err…is your radio tuned in to WIIFM?
3 People make decisions by tuning into the ‘radio station’ WIIFM, a.k.a What’s In It For Me. A Singaporean man obviously did not tune into WIIFM when he decided to smuggle contraband cigarettes into Singapore on 16 Mar 06 at about 0400 hours. If he had, he would have considered the success enjoyed by ICA in thwarting smuggling cases and realised that he had nothing to gain from it. The 47-year-old man’s game was up when ICA officers uncovered 29 packets of contraband cigarettes inside the car radio compartment of his car during a routine check. Another packet of cigarette was found under the floormat and two packets of shag tobacco were found inside the man’s rear trousers pockets.
4 Preliminary investigations showed that the driver had bought the contraband cigarettes and shag tobacco in Malaysia for his and his brother’s consumption. The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
5 The two cases were 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.
6 ICA has tightened security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contraband. We would like to warn the public to think twice before they attempt to smuggle unlawful goods illegally into Singapore as our officers at the checkpoints maintain a high level of vigilance at all times and are trained to profile potential offenders.