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You better watch out
You better watch out
You better not try
You better not flout
I’m telling you why
ICA is checking you now
(sung to the tune of ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’)
Yes, Christmas may be over and the malls stopped playing Christmas songs, but would-be smugglers have better take heed of the new ICA ditty. Two smugglers would probably remember this song for a long time, as they found out that ICA officers at the checkpoints remain vigilant during the peak festive season as well. At Woodlands checkpoint on 28 Dec 05, ICA foiled an attempt to bring in 450 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and another attempt to smuggle controlled drugs into Singapore.
I) 450 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes uncovered in van
2 At about 0710 hours, a white van was stopped for a routine check at Arrival Bus Bay at Woodlands checkpoint. During the check, our officers observed that the Malaysian driver appeared very nervous. At the same time, our officers noticed that the undercarriage of the van was unusually low. Our officers conducted a thorough check on the van and found a hidden compartment under the floorboard. A total of 450 cartons x 200 sticks of cigarettes were found in the hidden compartment.
3 Preliminary investigation revealed that the Malaysian driver, a 25-year-old man, had been promised RM800 to deliver the cigarettes to a carpark at Woodlands. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$31,700 and S$2,000 respectively. The case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. If found guilty, the offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved.
II) Controlled drugs found on Singaporean man
4 A 35-year-old Singaporean man found out that nothing escapes the eyes of ICA officers, not even something as small and easily hidden as tablets. At about 2035 hours on the same day, he was coming back to Singapore in a Malaysian registered car driven by a male Malaysian private taxi driver when the car was stopped for a routine check. There was another passenger, a Malaysian work permit holder with him in the car. The Singaporean man was fidgeting when the check was being conducted. The following items were found in the Singaporean’s haversack:
i) Three packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes;
ii) One pouch containing 50g of shag tobacco;
iii) 10 pieces of disposable needles; and
iv) Six pieces of disposable syringes.
5 The following controlled drugs were found in the Singaporean man’s right trousers pocket:
i) Four slabs (containing a total of 40 tablets) of Dormicum tablets;
ii) Five slabs (containing a total of 14 tablets) of Domi tablets; and
iii) One slab (containing a total of four tablets) of Subutex tablets.
6 The Singaporean man was immediately arrested and the case was referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigations. He will be investigated for the offence of importation of a controlled drug. If convicted, he will face a minimum sentence of 3 years’ imprisonment and 5 strokes of the cane.
7 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. During the peak festive period, ICA will continue to remain vigilant, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the festive season to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. 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’.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
You better not try
You better not flout
I’m telling you why
ICA is checking you now
(sung to the tune of ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’)
Yes, Christmas may be over and the malls stopped playing Christmas songs, but would-be smugglers have better take heed of the new ICA ditty. Two smugglers would probably remember this song for a long time, as they found out that ICA officers at the checkpoints remain vigilant during the peak festive season as well. At Woodlands checkpoint on 28 Dec 05, ICA foiled an attempt to bring in 450 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and another attempt to smuggle controlled drugs into Singapore.
I) 450 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes uncovered in van
2 At about 0710 hours, a white van was stopped for a routine check at Arrival Bus Bay at Woodlands checkpoint. During the check, our officers observed that the Malaysian driver appeared very nervous. At the same time, our officers noticed that the undercarriage of the van was unusually low. Our officers conducted a thorough check on the van and found a hidden compartment under the floorboard. A total of 450 cartons x 200 sticks of cigarettes were found in the hidden compartment.
3 Preliminary investigation revealed that the Malaysian driver, a 25-year-old man, had been promised RM800 to deliver the cigarettes to a carpark at Woodlands. The total amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved is estimated to be S$31,700 and S$2,000 respectively. The case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. If found guilty, the offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved.
II) Controlled drugs found on Singaporean man
4 A 35-year-old Singaporean man found out that nothing escapes the eyes of ICA officers, not even something as small and easily hidden as tablets. At about 2035 hours on the same day, he was coming back to Singapore in a Malaysian registered car driven by a male Malaysian private taxi driver when the car was stopped for a routine check. There was another passenger, a Malaysian work permit holder with him in the car. The Singaporean man was fidgeting when the check was being conducted. The following items were found in the Singaporean’s haversack:
i) Three packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes;
ii) One pouch containing 50g of shag tobacco;
iii) 10 pieces of disposable needles; and
iv) Six pieces of disposable syringes.
5 The following controlled drugs were found in the Singaporean man’s right trousers pocket:
i) Four slabs (containing a total of 40 tablets) of Dormicum tablets;
ii) Five slabs (containing a total of 14 tablets) of Domi tablets; and
iii) One slab (containing a total of four tablets) of Subutex tablets.
6 The Singaporean man was immediately arrested and the case was referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigations. He will be investigated for the offence of importation of a controlled drug. If convicted, he will face a minimum sentence of 3 years’ imprisonment and 5 strokes of the cane.
7 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. During the peak festive period, ICA will continue to remain vigilant, as would-be offenders may take advantage of the festive season to try their luck in bringing unlawful goods into Singapore. 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’.
END OF NEWS RELEASE