Customs officers find contraband cigarettes worth over $800k in unpaid taxes; 3 men arrested

SINGAPORE – Three men were arrested and Singapore Customs officers seized a total of 7,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in two operations in June.

The total duty and goods and services tax evaded amounted to about $812,800.

Singapore Customs said in a statement on July 2 that the three Singaporeans, aged 26, 27 and 43, were nabbed at an industrial unit in Depot Lane on June 25.

During the operation, Customs officers checked on two suspicious men in the vicinity and found a key on one of them.

Officers opened the back door of the unit with the key and discovered a third man with 3,750 cartons of contraband cigarettes inside, along with a consignment of stretch film.

Investigations revealed that one of the men was allegedly engaged to collect and deliver duty-unpaid cigarettes to the industrial unit and keep a lookout for the authorities. The other two men were allegedly engaged to repack the cigarettes in the unit.

Following leads, Customs officers conducted another operation on June 27 at a warehouse in Pandan Avenue near Pandan Reservoir. They discovered another 3,750 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in five pallets among stretch film.

Two of the men are being hauled to court, while the remaining man is being investigated, Singapore Customs added.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing and dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act, Singapore Customs said.

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

Anyone with information on smuggling activities or the evasion of duty or GST can make a report at https://go.gov.sg/reportcustomsoffence.