C
Cao Pi
Guest
Aug 12, 2010
Cigarette smuggling bid foiled
<!-- by line --> By Hannah Koh
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An attempt to smuggle more than $300,000's worth of contraband cigarettes from Malaysia was foiled in a joint operation late in July. Singapore Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority uncovered a whopping 34,750 packets of contraband cigarettes packed in unmarked cartons as part of a regular consignment tissue paper, toilet rolls, paper serviettes and cotton buds.
A blue Malaysian-registered truck thought to be carrying contraband cigarettes into Singapore was kept under close watch by both agencies as it entered a flatted factory complex near Depot Close on July 28 morning. It was shortly followed by a Singapore-registered white lorry. Four men, later established to be Malaysians, arrived to help unload the blue truck's cargo.
They stacked marked cartons of toilet rolls on the ground while transferring the unmarked cartons to the white lorry. Customs officers moved in and arrested the four men and two drivers. All were charged in court on Aug 6. Five of them pleaded guilty on Tuesday, while court proceedings for the remaining man are still ongoing.
Singapore Customs warns that buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with contraband cigarettes are serious offences under the Customs and GST Acts. For possessing a packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes, buyers face a minimum fine of $500 or prosecution in court. Members of the public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of Customs duty or GST can contact the Singapore Customs Hotline at 1800-2330000 or email to [email protected]
