Man jailed after nearly hitting officer while fleeing security check
He was paid 200 ringgit (S$65) a day to help deliver contraband cigarettes to various locations in Singapore.
When Tan Soon Sing, 40, was caught with illegal cigarettes at a checkpoint at the Airport Logistics Park (Alps) in Changi, he made a run for it and nearly hit a Certis officer with his car in the process.
On Monday, the Malaysian was jailed for 14 weeks after he pleaded guilty to one count each of committing a rash act and possessing uncustomed goods.
A second Customs Act offence was taken into consideration during sentencing.
Investigations revealed that Tan Soon Sing was engaged by a Malaysian man named Michael to deliver contraband cigarettes here.
On Nov 28, he tried to leave Alps in a Malaysia-registered car at 11pm.In the car, he had nine cartons and 40 packets of cigarettes weighing 2.4kg, on which the excise duty of $1,110.20 and goods and services tax of $81.86 were not paid.
Auxiliary police officer Tang Kim Eng, 56, spotted the contraband cigarettes in the car boot during a security check.
Mr Tang took out one carton, directed Tan Soon Sing to park at another lane for further checks and told Mr Tan Peng Chuan, 47, a Certis aviation screening officer, to take over.
But as Mr Tan Peng Chuan guided Tan Soon Sing to re-position his car, the Malaysian drove straight at him and did not stop even though the former gave a warning hand signal and instructed him to stop and alight from the vehicle.
Mr Tan Peng Chuan managed to dive away just in time as Tan Soon Sing sped off. He then disposed of the remaining eight cartons and 40 packets of cigarettes at Changi Beach Park. They were found in a black canvas bag inside a dustbin at 4.25am on Nov 29.
Tan Soon Sing was nabbed at Woodlands Checkpoint on the same day and $3,060 in cash was seized from him.
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