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Booty in Boots
The word 'nothing' set off the alarm bells in the mind of our Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer when she heard a motorcyclist coming into Singapore through Woodlands Checkpoint telling her, 'Sister, there nothing.' Our vigilant officer was not convinced.
2. The incident took place on 16 June 2005, at around 3.30pm. Observing that the motorcyclist looked like he was in a state of 'high', she decided that it was Imperative that Checks be Administered. The search on his sling bag yielded one 20-stick pack of duty-unpaid cigarettes, as well as 36 other sticks of cigarettes in two separate cigarette casings. Nothing incriminating was found on his bike. But the checks did not stop there.
3. The 33-year-old Singaporean male was then directed to the office for a body search. Even on their way there, the ICA officer observed him to be walking in an unsteady gait. Inside the office, our officer asked the man to pull up the legs of his trousers. He was wearing tall cowboy boots. Our officer again asked him whether there was anything hidden in the boots. Again, the man said there was nothing. The man was then told to remove his boots and that was when the booty was discovered.
4. The following items were found in his socks:
Left sock
16 slabs x 10 tablets x 15 mg of Dormicum Midazolam; and
6 tablets x 15 mg of Dormicum Midazolam.
Right sock
15 slabs x 10 tablets x 15 mg of Dormicum Midazolam; and
1 slab x 10 tablets x 15 mg of Domi.
5. The motorcyclist was put under arrest and brought to the Singapore Customs for the payment of duty and GST for his cigarettes. He was subsequently referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.
6. 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
17 June 2005
2. The incident took place on 16 June 2005, at around 3.30pm. Observing that the motorcyclist looked like he was in a state of 'high', she decided that it was Imperative that Checks be Administered. The search on his sling bag yielded one 20-stick pack of duty-unpaid cigarettes, as well as 36 other sticks of cigarettes in two separate cigarette casings. Nothing incriminating was found on his bike. But the checks did not stop there.
3. The 33-year-old Singaporean male was then directed to the office for a body search. Even on their way there, the ICA officer observed him to be walking in an unsteady gait. Inside the office, our officer asked the man to pull up the legs of his trousers. He was wearing tall cowboy boots. Our officer again asked him whether there was anything hidden in the boots. Again, the man said there was nothing. The man was then told to remove his boots and that was when the booty was discovered.
4. The following items were found in his socks:
Left sock
16 slabs x 10 tablets x 15 mg of Dormicum Midazolam; and
6 tablets x 15 mg of Dormicum Midazolam.
Right sock
15 slabs x 10 tablets x 15 mg of Dormicum Midazolam; and
1 slab x 10 tablets x 15 mg of Domi.
5. The motorcyclist was put under arrest and brought to the Singapore Customs for the payment of duty and GST for his cigarettes. He was subsequently referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.
6. 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
17 June 2005