For illegally peddling six packets of cigarettes on which duty has not been paid, a 43-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 months in jail.
.
The sentence, meted out on April 28, is the highest so far, given the quantity of the cigarettes involved, the Singapore Customs said yesterday.
.
The convict, Tang Wah Hee, is a repeat offender and was therefore subject to the stiff punishment.
.
Tang was caught red-handed by customs officers on Jan 10 outside 260 Geylang Road. He was spotted by the officers appearing to sell a packet of cigarettes to a passer-by.
.
The officers then approached Tang and he asked one of them if he wanted to buy cheap cigarettes.
.
There were six packets of cigarettes on a chair next to Tang. He was arrested on the spot and the cigarettes were seized.
.
Tang had been convicted for a similar offence last August and was jailed for six months.
.
This time, he was sentenced to eight months in jail under the Customs Act for not paying excise duties and two months under the Goods and Services Tax Act for not paying GST.
.
He could have been jailed for up to two years and fined.
.
Members of the public with information on the peddling of contraband cigarettes should contact the Singapore Customs hotline at 1800 233 0000 or email customs_intelligence@ customs.gov.sg.
