Three men, aged between 24 and 57, were arrested for their suspected involvement in smuggling duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore during a joint operation by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
On 10 July 2015 at 1.45 am, officers from Police Coast Guard (PCG) and ICA conducted checks on a vessel at the sea off Jurong Port and uncovered 960 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes worth more than S$117,000, in the steering gear room. The cigarettes were wrapped in black bags. The total duty evaded exceeded S$91,000 and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded exceeded S$8,200. The cigarettes and the vessel involved were seized. Investigation by Singapore Customs is on-going.
Commander of Police Coast Guard, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun said: "The success of this joint operation between SPF and ICA reaffirms our strong resolve and determination against illegal activities in Singapore’s waters. This is also a stern reminder that it does not pay to violate the integrity of our waters. We take a serious view on illegal smuggling and will act swiftly to bring such offenders to justice.”
Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security, and security checks are critical to our nation’s security. The Home Team agencies will continue to conduct checks on vessels in the Singapore’s waters to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands.
Singapore Customs would like to remind the public that buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act. Offenders will be severely dealt with. They can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years. The minimum court fine for first-time and repeat offenders of tobacco-related offences are $2,000 and $4,000 respectively. Repeat offenders who are caught with more than two kilogrammes of tobacco products will also face mandatory imprisonment. Vehicles used in the commission of such offences may also be forfeited.
The public is strongly advised not to buy duty-unpaid products. For possessing a packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes, buyers may 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 on 1800-2330000 or email customs_intelligence@customs.gov.sg.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
10 July 2015 @ 5:30 PM