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C.A.D.S Floored by ICA Officers
A man tried to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore by hiding them underneath the floorboard of a Malaysian-registered bus. His attempt was thwarted by ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint on 17 Oct at 0450 hours. Less than two hours later, ICA stopped another smuggling attempt at the same checkpoint. This time round, a man was caught for trying to smuggle uncensored and obscene discs by hiding them underneath the floorboard of an empty bonded truck. Their misdeeds uncovered, the CADS (Cigarettes And Discs Smugglers), their vehicles and unlawful goods were handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
(I) 608 cartons x 200 sticks of cigarettes uncovered
2 A Malaysian bus driver was ferrying factory workers into Singapore when his bus was stopped for a routine check at Woodlands checkpoint. Our alert ICA officer noticed that a section of the floorboard was raised, and made a thorough check around that area. At this point in time, the male bus driver became nervous and agitated. Suspecting that there was a secret compartment underneath the floorboard, our officers proceeded to drill a small hole in the floorboard and detected a whiff of tobacco escaping from the hole. Our officers loosened the rivets on the floorboard and use a crowbar to prise it open.
3 The secret compartment under the floorboard was opened and 608 cartons x 200 sticks of duty unpaid cigarettes were found inside. The 27-year-old driver was immediately placed under arrest and the vehicle seized.
4 The Customs duties and GST involved are about S$42,800 and S$2,700 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) 13,155 pieces of illegal discs uncovered
5 At about 0630 hours on the same day, a seemingly empty bonded truck was directed to the Arrival Cargo Bay for further inspection after it was screened by the Integrated Container Inspection System (ICIS) at Woodlands checkpoint. The 2-in-1 system, comprising a radiographic scanner and radiation portal, had indicated the presence of some items hidden underneath the floorboard. The Malaysian truck driver was visibly nervous at this stage and fidgeted about when asked if he has anything to declare. He maintained that he had no goods to declare.
6 Our officers prised open the floorboard and uncovered boxes of discs (VCDs, DVDs and CDs) hidden beneath it. The 40-year-old man was immediately arrested and his vehicle seized. He admitted that he was promised RM500 to transport the 13,155 pieces of uncensored and obscene discs into Singapore. The case was referred to Police for further investigation.
7 Under Copyright Act (Cap 63), persons found guilty of selling or distributing articles of any work in which copyright or trademark subsists are liable to a fine of up to $10,000/- per article (or up to a maximum fine of $100,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 5 years. Under Films Act (Cap 107), persons found guilty of importing obscene films are liable to a fine not less than $1,000/- for each film imported (but not exceeding aggregate of $40,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 12 months. Repeat offenders are liable to a fine not less than $2,000/- for each film imported (but not exceeding aggregate of $100,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 2 years.
8 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. In the first six months of this year, we have detected more than 7,000 cases of contraband and illegal goods being imported into Singapore. Illegally smuggled cigarettes saw more than a 100% increase from the previous year, with more than 120,000 packets detected. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
18 Oct 2005
(I) 608 cartons x 200 sticks of cigarettes uncovered
2 A Malaysian bus driver was ferrying factory workers into Singapore when his bus was stopped for a routine check at Woodlands checkpoint. Our alert ICA officer noticed that a section of the floorboard was raised, and made a thorough check around that area. At this point in time, the male bus driver became nervous and agitated. Suspecting that there was a secret compartment underneath the floorboard, our officers proceeded to drill a small hole in the floorboard and detected a whiff of tobacco escaping from the hole. Our officers loosened the rivets on the floorboard and use a crowbar to prise it open.
3 The secret compartment under the floorboard was opened and 608 cartons x 200 sticks of duty unpaid cigarettes were found inside. The 27-year-old driver was immediately placed under arrest and the vehicle seized.
4 The Customs duties and GST involved are about S$42,800 and S$2,700 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) 13,155 pieces of illegal discs uncovered
5 At about 0630 hours on the same day, a seemingly empty bonded truck was directed to the Arrival Cargo Bay for further inspection after it was screened by the Integrated Container Inspection System (ICIS) at Woodlands checkpoint. The 2-in-1 system, comprising a radiographic scanner and radiation portal, had indicated the presence of some items hidden underneath the floorboard. The Malaysian truck driver was visibly nervous at this stage and fidgeted about when asked if he has anything to declare. He maintained that he had no goods to declare.
6 Our officers prised open the floorboard and uncovered boxes of discs (VCDs, DVDs and CDs) hidden beneath it. The 40-year-old man was immediately arrested and his vehicle seized. He admitted that he was promised RM500 to transport the 13,155 pieces of uncensored and obscene discs into Singapore. The case was referred to Police for further investigation.
7 Under Copyright Act (Cap 63), persons found guilty of selling or distributing articles of any work in which copyright or trademark subsists are liable to a fine of up to $10,000/- per article (or up to a maximum fine of $100,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 5 years. Under Films Act (Cap 107), persons found guilty of importing obscene films are liable to a fine not less than $1,000/- for each film imported (but not exceeding aggregate of $40,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 12 months. Repeat offenders are liable to a fine not less than $2,000/- for each film imported (but not exceeding aggregate of $100,000/-), and/or to a jail term up to 2 years.
8 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. In the first six months of this year, we have detected more than 7,000 cases of contraband and illegal goods being imported into Singapore. Illegally smuggled cigarettes saw more than a 100% increase from the previous year, with more than 120,000 packets detected. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
18 Oct 2005