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Jan 6, 2010
Big haul of contraband
Contraband cigarettes uncovered inside the bonded trucks. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE CUSTOMS
OVER 150,000 packets worth $1.42 million and $51,200 in cash were seized in island-wide operations carried out by Singapore Customs during the Christmas celebrations and New Year countdown. The raids also crippled a syndicate and foiled two smuggling attempts. Besides the 152,487 packets of contraband cigarettes, Customs men also seized 18 kg of shag tobacco worth. The total duty and GST amounted to $1.22 million. Six Singapore-registered vehicles and cash amounting to $51,200 were also seized. Eight men and a woman - four of them Singaporeans, one Malaysian and four Chinese nationals, aged between 27 and 54 - were arrested during the operations. In the Christmas operation, codenamed 'Ops Double Decker I', carried out on Dec 16, officers from Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) mounted a surveillance on a targeted double decker tour bus from the Woodlands Checkpoint. The bus was let in through the checkpoint and trailed to a heavy vehicle park in Pasir Ris, where 34,220 packets of contraband cigarettes were transferred onto. The truck was later intercepted by Customs men in a heavy vehicle park in Marine Crescent and the driver, a 54-year-old Singaporean, was arrested.
He was charged in December and jailed 12 months. In the second part of the same operation, the same tour bus made a return attempt on Christmas eve, and again Customs officers trailed it to the same vehicle park in Pasir Ris, where 31,880 packets of contraband cigarettes were loaded onto on a truck. The truck moved to another heavy vehicle park along Lower Delta Road, where the cigarettes were seized. The driver was charged on Dec 28. On New Year's eve, Customs mounted another operation, codenamed 'Ops Dragon Slayer', in Eunos targeting an illegal cigarette syndicate supplying contraband cigarettes to pedlars. Officers seized 44,277 packets of contraband cigarettes as well as two locally-registered rented vans and a taxi used for distributing the cigarettes. To flush out the remnants of the syndicate, Customs officers raided the syndicate's storage locations in various parts of the island and seized another 8,860 packets of contraband cigarettes and 18 kg of contraband shag tobacco. Six persons were arrested charged in court on Jan 2.
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Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Jan 6, 2010
Big haul of contraband
Contraband cigarettes uncovered inside the bonded trucks. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE CUSTOMS
OVER 150,000 packets worth $1.42 million and $51,200 in cash were seized in island-wide operations carried out by Singapore Customs during the Christmas celebrations and New Year countdown. The raids also crippled a syndicate and foiled two smuggling attempts. Besides the 152,487 packets of contraband cigarettes, Customs men also seized 18 kg of shag tobacco worth. The total duty and GST amounted to $1.22 million. Six Singapore-registered vehicles and cash amounting to $51,200 were also seized. Eight men and a woman - four of them Singaporeans, one Malaysian and four Chinese nationals, aged between 27 and 54 - were arrested during the operations. In the Christmas operation, codenamed 'Ops Double Decker I', carried out on Dec 16, officers from Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) mounted a surveillance on a targeted double decker tour bus from the Woodlands Checkpoint. The bus was let in through the checkpoint and trailed to a heavy vehicle park in Pasir Ris, where 34,220 packets of contraband cigarettes were transferred onto. The truck was later intercepted by Customs men in a heavy vehicle park in Marine Crescent and the driver, a 54-year-old Singaporean, was arrested.
He was charged in December and jailed 12 months. In the second part of the same operation, the same tour bus made a return attempt on Christmas eve, and again Customs officers trailed it to the same vehicle park in Pasir Ris, where 31,880 packets of contraband cigarettes were loaded onto on a truck. The truck moved to another heavy vehicle park along Lower Delta Road, where the cigarettes were seized. The driver was charged on Dec 28. On New Year's eve, Customs mounted another operation, codenamed 'Ops Dragon Slayer', in Eunos targeting an illegal cigarette syndicate supplying contraband cigarettes to pedlars. Officers seized 44,277 packets of contraband cigarettes as well as two locally-registered rented vans and a taxi used for distributing the cigarettes. To flush out the remnants of the syndicate, Customs officers raided the syndicate's storage locations in various parts of the island and seized another 8,860 packets of contraband cigarettes and 18 kg of contraband shag tobacco. Six persons were arrested charged in court on Jan 2.
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