4 nabbed for delivering duty-unpaid liquor, home distillery
To the untrained eye, the man was probably making his rounds to deliver dried foodstuff at a Jurong West housing board estate.
But eagle-eyed Singapore Customs officers suspected that his “special delivery” was of the illegal kind.
The 42-year-old Chinese national was arrested on Oct 8 while delivering duty-unpaid liquor at the estate’s unloading bay.
Stashed among dried foodstuff at the back of a delivery truck and under the front passenger seat were boxes hiding 129 bottles of Chinese wine, with each 2 litre bottle containing 56 per cent of alcohol.
Speaking to the media following his arrest, the handcuffed man said he resorted to delivering such illegal liquor to earn some cash for his family. Depending on the size of the delivery, he said he could earn between $30 and $100.
His arrest was only one of several as part of Singapore Customs’ islandwide enforcement operation that evening.
In total, two male Chinese nationals and one female Malaysian, aged between 42 and 63, were caught for delivering duty-unpaid liquor.
The woman, 63, was nabbed doing so near a rubbish chute of an HDB block close to Jurong West.
Customs officers also discovered home-brewed liquor at her residence in Woodlands. They confiscated a total of 105 bottles of liquor and two distillery machines. Among the seized alcohol were 73 5-litre bottles and 32 estimated 500ml bottles.
A 45-year-old male Singaporean was also arrested for storing duty-unpaid liquor at his Loyang home, where 19 bottles of such illegal alcohol – 18 bottles containing 500ml each and one bottle with an estimated 250ml of liquor – were found and allegedly intended for sale.
While investigations for the Oct 8 raids are ongoing, Singapore Customs said 3,257 bottles with a total estimated volume of 668.5 litres of liquor, one truck and two distillery machines were seized during that evening’s operations.
The total estimated duty and goods and services tax evaded amounted to about $35,932.
From January to June 2024, Singapore Customs caught a total of 869 offenders for duty-unpaid liquor. In that same period, 10,020 litres of liquor were seized.
Mr Eric Chan, deputy head of the Singapore Customs’ Suppression and Community Engagement Branch, said the agency takes proactive steps in combating the smuggling of duty-unpaid liquor by targeting the smuggling networks and illicit sellers.
“As their methods evolve, we also remain vigilant and adaptable,” he added. “We are actively monitoring and acting against the peddling and buying of duty-unpaid liquor on platforms like WeChat and Telegram.
“While the price difference or the allure of quick profits might tempt buyers and sellers, the penalties are severe and simply not worth the risk.”
Singapore Customs said offenders might smuggle such liquor through various methods, including concealing them within legitimate shipments, or disguising them as legitimate goods such as soft drinks.
Some may also hide duty-unpaid liquor in their luggage to evade duties and taxes at checkpoints.
Such alcohol sold through social media and messaging platforms are usually advertised at significantly lower prices than those sold via legitimate channels like supermarkets to entice buyers, said Singapore Customs.
The public should be cautious when purchasing liquor from informal channels. Illegal alcohol might also not be labelled with information such as its country of origin, and the name and address of the importer in Singapore.
Buying, selling, delivering, storing, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under Singapore law.
Offenders can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, and/or jailed for up to two years. Vehicles used in committing such offences can also be seized by the authorities.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now