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Buses Busted
Over the weekend, vigilant officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)'s Woodlands Task Force busted two vehicles that made use of secret compartments to smuggle contraband into Singapore.
Case 1
2. On 22 July 2005 at about 4.40am, two Woodlands Task Force officers stopped a Malaysian-registered 'Bas Pekerja' for checks. In the course of the check, the officers noticed that the undercarriage of the van was abnormally low, which led them to suspect that there was a secret compartment.
3. When asked if he had anything to declare, the driver said that he had nothing to declare.
4. Nonetheless, the officers directed the van for a 100 per cent check. A thorough check was conducted but no signs of openings could be found. After careful consideration, the officers drilled holes into different locations of the floorboard. The optical fibrescope was then used to check the inside of the floorboard. When the fibrescope was inserted into the first hole, a brown-coloured object, resembling the colour of a carton was detected. The second and third holes showed that there was a reflective item.
5. As there was still no opening to be found, the officers removed the back bumper of the van. This led to the discovery of brown cartons containing VCDs and DVDs. After sorting out the exhibits, a total of 7,090 pieces of suspected obscene and uncensored DVDs and VCDs were uncovered. The total estimated value of the discs is $13,895 and the estimated GST involved is $694.75.
6. Upon questioning, the driver admitted that he was aware of the contraband and claimed that he would be paid S$200 upon successful delivery.
7. The case was handed over to the Singapore Police Force for further investigation.
Case 2
8. The following day, at about 5.50pm, the same Woodlands Task Force officers stopped a Malaysian factory bus for checks. The lack of a luggage compartment aroused their suspicion. While checking the bus, the officers discovered that there were built up compartments at the side and rear end of the bus. When asked if he had anything to declare, the driver replied in the negative.
9. Upon further checks, our officer discovered a secret opening under the last passenger seat in the bus. Cartons of cigarettes were discovered in the opening. The officers also noticed that in place of the luggage compartment, there was a specially-constructed compartment at the side of the bus. The compartment was padlocked. More cigarettes were found in this compartment.
10. A total of 1,950 cartons x 200 sticks of assorted brands of cigarettes were found concealed within the two secret compartments.
11. The driver, a 30-year-old male Malaysian admitted ownership of the cigarettes detected. He also claimed that he would be paid RM200 if he was successful in smuggling the cigarettes into Singapore. The total estimated duty and GST payable for the cigarettes are S$114,270.00 and S$7,624.50 respectively.
12. The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
Related penalties
Illegal discs
13. Under the 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 the 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.
Duty-unpaid cigarettes
14. If found guilty, offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved.
About the Woodlands Task Force
15. The Task Force Teams at Woodlands Command were formed on 1 November 2003. The roles of the task force officers are to concentrate on profiling persons and conveyances with the intention of detecting smuggling of persons and contrabands, and to gather intelligence information at the checkpoint for analysis and future profiling.
About the optical fibrescope
16. The optical fibrescope is one of ICA's arsenal of equipment to thwart smuggling. It makes use of fibre optic technology that allows a miniature camera to be inserted into tight corners giving officers a look behind hard-to-reach areas in vehicles.
Enhancing border security
17. 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 other contraband. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
25 July 2005
Case 1
2. On 22 July 2005 at about 4.40am, two Woodlands Task Force officers stopped a Malaysian-registered 'Bas Pekerja' for checks. In the course of the check, the officers noticed that the undercarriage of the van was abnormally low, which led them to suspect that there was a secret compartment.
3. When asked if he had anything to declare, the driver said that he had nothing to declare.
4. Nonetheless, the officers directed the van for a 100 per cent check. A thorough check was conducted but no signs of openings could be found. After careful consideration, the officers drilled holes into different locations of the floorboard. The optical fibrescope was then used to check the inside of the floorboard. When the fibrescope was inserted into the first hole, a brown-coloured object, resembling the colour of a carton was detected. The second and third holes showed that there was a reflective item.
5. As there was still no opening to be found, the officers removed the back bumper of the van. This led to the discovery of brown cartons containing VCDs and DVDs. After sorting out the exhibits, a total of 7,090 pieces of suspected obscene and uncensored DVDs and VCDs were uncovered. The total estimated value of the discs is $13,895 and the estimated GST involved is $694.75.
6. Upon questioning, the driver admitted that he was aware of the contraband and claimed that he would be paid S$200 upon successful delivery.
7. The case was handed over to the Singapore Police Force for further investigation.
Case 2
8. The following day, at about 5.50pm, the same Woodlands Task Force officers stopped a Malaysian factory bus for checks. The lack of a luggage compartment aroused their suspicion. While checking the bus, the officers discovered that there were built up compartments at the side and rear end of the bus. When asked if he had anything to declare, the driver replied in the negative.
9. Upon further checks, our officer discovered a secret opening under the last passenger seat in the bus. Cartons of cigarettes were discovered in the opening. The officers also noticed that in place of the luggage compartment, there was a specially-constructed compartment at the side of the bus. The compartment was padlocked. More cigarettes were found in this compartment.
10. A total of 1,950 cartons x 200 sticks of assorted brands of cigarettes were found concealed within the two secret compartments.
11. The driver, a 30-year-old male Malaysian admitted ownership of the cigarettes detected. He also claimed that he would be paid RM200 if he was successful in smuggling the cigarettes into Singapore. The total estimated duty and GST payable for the cigarettes are S$114,270.00 and S$7,624.50 respectively.
12. The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.
Related penalties
Illegal discs
13. Under the 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 the 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.
Duty-unpaid cigarettes
14. If found guilty, offenders could be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of customs duties and Goods & Services Tax involved.
About the Woodlands Task Force
15. The Task Force Teams at Woodlands Command were formed on 1 November 2003. The roles of the task force officers are to concentrate on profiling persons and conveyances with the intention of detecting smuggling of persons and contrabands, and to gather intelligence information at the checkpoint for analysis and future profiling.
About the optical fibrescope
16. The optical fibrescope is one of ICA's arsenal of equipment to thwart smuggling. It makes use of fibre optic technology that allows a miniature camera to be inserted into tight corners giving officers a look behind hard-to-reach areas in vehicles.
Enhancing border security
17. 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 other contraband. We would like to advise the public against smuggling unlawful goods into Singapore.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
25 July 2005