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Over 3,900 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes seized

SINGAPORE — A total of 3,934 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized by the Singapore Customs from two related operations on Friday (March 24).

Singapore Custom officers seized a total of 3,934 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes from two related operations on March 24, 2017. Photo: Singapore Customs

Singapore Custom officers seized a total of 3,934 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes from two related operations on March 24, 2017. Photo: Singapore Customs

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SINGAPORE — A total of 3,934 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized by the Singapore Customs from two related operations on Friday (March 24).

According to a statement from Singapore Customs on Monday (March 27), the first operation was conducted at a commercial building on Toh Guan Road in the early hours of Friday morning, where the officers were watching closely three men as they were transferring boxes onto cars in the car park of the building.

Suspecting that the boxes contained duty-unpaid cigarettes, the officers moved in and detained two of them while the third fled the scene. A total of 3,450 cartons of duty unpaid cigarettes were uncovered from the boxes.

The third man was later arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint.

Leads from preliminary investigations led Singapore Customs officers to mount another operation on Friday morning at a self-storage facility at Woodlands Close. A total of 484 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized from that raid.

The total amount of duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) involved in these two operations amounted to about S$312,260 and S$23,100 respectively.

The three men, all aged 23 and from Malaysia, were charged in the State Courts on March 25 for dealing with duty-unpaid cigarettes. Court proceedings are still ongoing.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act.

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

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