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Bas 'Hilang' * - Now You See It, Now You Don't
A Bas Kilang driver must have wished that his bus would 'disappear' from the view of ICA officers when they directed his bus for a routine check at Woodlands checkpoint. ICA officers not only saw the bus as it was coming into the Woodlands Arrival Bus Bay, they also spotted the 1700 cartons of contraband cigarettes that he had hidden on the bus.
2 On 23 Jan 2006 at about 0550 hours, the Bas Kilang was stopped at Woodlands checkpoint for a routine check by ICA officers. The 25-year-old Malaysian bus driver appeared very nervous as our officers inspected the bus. He broke into cold sweat as the ICA officers began scrutinising the floorboard of the bus. The alert officers noticed his behaviour and proceeded to do a thorough check on the bus. Their efforts paid off when they discovered a secret compartment under the floorboard of the bus. A total of 1700 cartons x 200 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in the secret compartment. The driver was immediately placed under arrest and the bus seized.
3 He revealed that he was promised RM$800 to smuggle the cigarettes into Singapore. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$119,700 and S$7,700 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 ICA will continue to remain vigilant, including and especially during the peak periods, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the peak period to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. 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 23 Jan 2006 at about 0550 hours, the Bas Kilang was stopped at Woodlands checkpoint for a routine check by ICA officers. The 25-year-old Malaysian bus driver appeared very nervous as our officers inspected the bus. He broke into cold sweat as the ICA officers began scrutinising the floorboard of the bus. The alert officers noticed his behaviour and proceeded to do a thorough check on the bus. Their efforts paid off when they discovered a secret compartment under the floorboard of the bus. A total of 1700 cartons x 200 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in the secret compartment. The driver was immediately placed under arrest and the bus seized.
3 He revealed that he was promised RM$800 to smuggle the cigarettes into Singapore. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$119,700 and S$7,700 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 ICA will continue to remain vigilant, including and especially during the peak periods, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the peak period to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. 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'.