5,800 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes seized, 4 foreigners arrested

In an operation the Singapore Customs conducted on April 25, an industrial unit at Corporation Drive was found to be housing 5,861 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes.

A 34-year-old Indian national, a 27-year-old Chinese national and a 22-year-old Malaysian were arrested.

Officers also seized $6,100 in cash, suspected to be proceeds from the sale of the duty-unpaid cigarettes.

Further investigations identified a fourth suspect, a 47-year-old Malaysian man, who had allegedly driven the lorry with duty-unpaid cigarettes from Malaysia into Singapore earlier that day.

He was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint on the same day.

Investigations revealed that unknown persons had allegedly engaged the Chinese national and the younger Malaysian to unload and repack the duty-unpaid cigarettes.

The Chinese national had, in turn, allegedly engaged the Indian national to assist in unloading the duty-unpaid cigarettes from the lorry in the industrial unit.

The total duty and GST evaded amounted to about $634,851.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences.

Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.

Vehicles used in the commission of such offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid cigarettes are also liable to be forfeited.