Close to 3,000 Contraband Cigarettes Confiscated in Yishun Raid; 4 Men Arrested

Do you know what’s one thing we should not do?

Commit crimes, or anything illegal.

Do you know what’s worse than that?

Doing something illegal in broad daylight, in public.

Singapore Customs Seize Nearly 3,000 Contraband Cigarettes

On Wednesday (23 June), the Singapore Customs announced that nearly 3,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes had been confiscated following an operation at a heavy vehicle carpark in Yishun.

As a result of the operation, four Singaporean men between 21-years-old and 48-years-old were also arrested.

According to the Singapore Customs, it had conducted an operation on the afternoon of 18 June at a heavy vehicle car park located at Yishun Avenue 7.

Singapore Customs officers had observed two Singapore-registered trucks parked next to each other. They also saw three men transferring long pieces of metal planks from one truck to another.

Later, a man alighted from one truck and got onto the other truck to shift it closer to the first truck.

According to the press release by Singapore customs, 2,982 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found when officers moved in to conduct a check. Some of the cigarettes were still concealed in metal planks in the cargo compartment of one of the trucks.

The operation ended with the seizure of two trucks and more than 2,980 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes, with the four men being arrested.

The total duty and Goods and Services tax (GST) evaded amounted to about S$254,660 and S$20,430 respectively, said the Singapore customs. Court proceedings against three of the four men are ongoing, while investigations are ongoing against the fourth.

Under the Customs Act and the GST Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are illegal and considered to be serious offences.

Those found guilty of the above can be sentenced up to six years’ jail, and fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded. Singapore Customs also said that vehicles used in the commission of such offences, as well as proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid cigarettes are also liable to be forfeited.

More than 9,000 Contraband Cigarettes Seized Early in May

While I wouldn’t say that these incidents of attempting to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore a frequent, they happen often enough.

In fact, just last month, Singapore Customs seized more than 9,081 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in a joint operation with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

ICA officers at Pasir Panjang Scanning station had detected anomalies in the scanned image of a 20-foot container on 12 May, and shared the information with Singapore Customs. A joint operation was subsequently launched the next day (13 May), at a store unit in an industrial building at Jalan Pemimpin.

The operation ended with the seizure of 9,081 cartons and eight packs of duty-unpaid cigarettes, as well as the arrest of four Singaporean men aged 24 to 48.

According to the press release by Singapore Customs and ICA, the total duty and Goods and Services tax (GST) evaded is an estimated S$776,550 and S$62,280 respectively.

Featured Image: Singapore Customs