11,180 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes found hidden in container

This article is more than 12 months old

May 13, 2020 06:00 am

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found 11,180 cartons and 200 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes at Pasir Panjang Scanning Station, it said in a press release yesterday.

The cartons of contraband cigarettes were discovered within a consignment when officers conducted checks on a container at the scanning station on May 2.

Anomalies in the images of the consignment, declared as electrical control panels, raised suspicions, and the case was handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigation.

The total duty evaded for smuggling the duty-unpaid cigarettes amounted to $954,772, and the total goods and services tax evaded amounted to $77,305, just over $1 million. Investigations are still ongoing.

ICA said the same methods of concealment used by contraband smugglers could potentially be used by terrorists to smuggle weapons, such as arms and explosives, to carry out attacks in Singapore.

Last month, The Straits Times reported smugglers are looking for more ways to bring in contraband goods, as the prices of contraband cigarettes sold in Singapore have gone up between 30 per cent and 50 per cent. The increase in prices is owed to a shortage of supply, caused by restrictions of goods and people during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. - NUR IFFAH MUHAMMAD ROSTAM