Over 570 people caught with duty-unpaid cigarettes within 1st month of new law

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

Over 570 people caught with duty-unpaid cigarettes within 1st month of new law
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 15 February 2009 2027 hrs

SINGAPORE : Over 570 people were caught with duty-unpaid cigarettes within the first month of a new law that requires all legal cigarettes to have a special SDPC (Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarettes) marking. The law came into effect on January 1.

In its annual enforcement report, Singapore Customs said the number of cigarette offenders has gone down for the first time since 2005.

Last year, over 20,300 people were caught with contraband cigarettes, down 13 per cent from 2007.

Singapore Customs said the drop is due to its enforcement and public outreach efforts.

But more illegal cigarettes were seized - 4.6 million packets, involving S$35.5 million in evaded taxes. That was 5 per cent more than the quantity seized in 2007.

More people have also been charged for dealing in contraband cigarettes - 1,382 in 2008, compared to 1,314 in 2007 and 1,186 in 2006.

Over 6,300 people were caught last year for buying and smoking contraband cigarettes - up 6 per cent from 2007. - CNA/ms

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/374973/1/.html

Will we continue to see a rise is risk takers or will the new law really have a deterrent effect on cheap smokes??

pia · Feb 16, 2009

As long as the selling price of ciggies in S'pore is disproportionally high in comparison with the negihbouring countries, there will be a long line of risk-takers to smuggle in contraband.

Someone ingenious guys will come up with labelling machines to print the contraband ciggies with the SDPC marks... soon, if not already :biggrin:

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

pia said:
Someone ingenious guys will come up with labelling machines to print the contraband ciggies with the SDPC marks... soon, if not already

Whoah!!! u really up-to-date whor!! Last I heared there seems to be a race to make yr comment become a reality :wink:

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Feb 15, 2009
Contraband cigarettes
No. of offenders down
By Jermyn Chow

The 20,306 offenders nabbed last year was 13 per cent lower than the 23,422 caught the previous year. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE CUSTOM

YEARS of combating the problem of contraband cigarettes seem to be paying off - the overall number of buyers, sellers and smugglers caught has registered the first dip since 2005.
The 20,306 offenders nabbed last year was 13 per cent lower than the 23,422 caught the previous year.

The authorities have gone after the buyers of contraband cigarettes, hitting them with heavier fines and more intensive enforcement.

Choking off the demand for these cigarettes has also involved deploying over 20 uniformed auxiliary officers to patrol the hotspots and heartlands to catch those buying or smoking these illegal sticks.

Last year, Customs arrested 6,356 buyers, seven in 10 of them Singaporean.

Customs officers also caught more than 570 smokers across the island, puffing on duty-unpaid cigarettes, now distinguished by their lack of the branding mark 'SDPC', which stands for Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarettes.

Offenders may be fined $500 per packet of illegal smokes found on them. They may also be jailed.

Customs director-general Fong Yong Kian, noting that more smokers may be tempted to buy illegal cigarettes to save money during these tough times, warned that there will be no let-up in enforcement.

Of the 20,306 offenders caught last year, about 19,000 paid fines; the others were charged in court, with some of them being jailed or fined up to $10,000.

To raise awareness among smokers, Customs officers have put up more than 15,000 posters in public areas.

The clampdown appears to have sent the smugglers of contraband cigarettes underground. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority caught about 18,900 of them trying to sneak their wares into Singapore last year, down from the 23,800 in 2007.

Customs officials said cigarette smugglers have been concealing their illegal stash more creatively. The hiding places have ranged from excavator machines to decorative Roman pillars
:eek:

.

pia · Feb 16, 2009

sunny302 said:
Whoah!!! u really up-to-date whor!! Last I heared there seems to be a race to make yr comment become a reality

U know.. if I'm a "lang zhi" with little to lose, this would be a very viable option :wink:

There will be too many syndicates out there willing to do this lucrative business.

tima81 · Feb 16, 2009

No point buying contraband cigarettes, i used to buy them but stop after having chest pain while smoking. If you compare the Tar & nicotine level, its a least 3 times more then those that are selling in Singapore

SneeringTree · Feb 16, 2009

tima81 said:
No point buying contraband cigarettes, i used to buy them but stop after having chest pain while smoking. If you compare the Tar & nicotine level, its a least 3 times more then those that are selling in Singapore

Why don't you just stop smoking? You think "normal" cigarettes won't give you chest pains eventually??

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

pia said:
There will be too many syndicates out there willing to do this lucrative business.

Agreed!!The profits are too good to be ignored :wink:

tima81 · Feb 16, 2009

SneeringTree said:
Why don't you just stop smoking? You think "normal" cigarettes won't give you chest pains eventually??

Not when i'm jogging every mon wed & fri :biggrin:

pia · Feb 16, 2009

tima81 said:
No point buying contraband cigarettes, i used to buy them but stop after having chest pain while smoking. If you compare the Tar & nicotine level, its a least 3 times more then those that are selling in Singapore

Why should they be? :confused:

Where's your source?

If they are smuggled stuff from Indo or M'sia, nicotine and tar levels shld be the same.. e.g. I'm smoking Dunhill Menthol lights in INdo as I type this.. Tar 9mg, Nocotine 0.8mg :biggrin:

Don't expect it to be different if it's smuggled into Sinkieland.

Unless you are getting bootleg from some illegal factory in the forest??

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

tima81 said:
No point buying contraband cigarettes, i used to buy them but stop after having chest pain while smoking.

I see u appreciate a "quality" smoke my fren :p. Not all contraband ciggs are of a lower quality than the original. It will depend on the source lah :wink:

SneeringTree said:
Why don't you just stop smoking?

Smokers will will smokers but that will also depend on the quality of the ciggs :eek:

tima81 · Feb 16, 2009

pia said:
Why should they be? Where's your source?

If they are smuggled stuff from Indo or M'sia, nicotine and tar levels shld be the same.. e.g. I'm smoking Dunhill Menthol lights in INdo as I type this.. Tar 9mg, Nocotine 0.8mg Don't expect it to be different if it's smuggled into Sinkieland.

Unless you are getting bootleg from some illegal factory in the forest??

Just compare the amount stated in the box lor, FYI the amount of TAR in a malaysian Mar Red is at 20 mg compare to Singapore's 13mg. I'm now smoking Singapore's Paul Mall red, tar @ 13Mg and nicotine @ 1MG. Been smoking for more then 10 years but it still take me 2-3 days to finish a packet of 20 sticks cig

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

pia said:
I'm smoking Dunhill Menthol lights in INdo as I type this.. Tar 9mg, Nocotine 0.8mg

Indon quality better that mudland :biggrin:

:p

pia · Feb 16, 2009

tima81 said:
Just compare the amount stated in the box lor, FYI the amount of TAR in a malaysian Mar Red is at 20 mg compare to Singapore's 13mg

OIC.. didn't know that. I assumed they're the same if same brand and type. I never checked the contents when buying in KL :biggrin:

besotted · Feb 16, 2009

NEA and Customes reaaly fuck off useless

570 in a month is less than 20 a day

10 mins in Geylang will nab 20 easily , come on guys can do better

tima81 · Feb 16, 2009

pia said:
OIC.. didn't know that. I assumed they're the same if same brand and type. I never checked the contents when buying in KL

Time for you to see a doctor to check your lung then :biggrin:

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

tima81 said:
Been smoking for more then 10 years but it still take me 2-3 days to finish a packet of 20 sticks cig

Hmmm "light" smoker here.. :biggrin:

:p

sunny302 · Feb 16, 2009

besotted said:
10 mins in Geylang will nab 20 easily

Case of selective killing but not destroyng the root lah :p

pia · Feb 16, 2009

sunny302 said:
Hmmm "light" smoker here..:p

That's the good thing about expensive cigs... 1 pack can last 2-3 days. I habis mine in less than 1 day. Ciggies too cheap here.. equivalent of S$1.20 per pack :o :biggrin:

tima81 · Feb 16, 2009

pia said:
That's the good thing about expensive cigs... 1 pack can last 2-3 days. I habis mine in less than 1 day. Ciggies too cheap here.. equivalent of S$1.20 per pack :o

Not really, i had been smoking at this rate even when i was buying Malaysian cig in the past :p

Over 570 people caught with duty-unpaid cigarettes within 1st month of new law

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