3,340 cartons of contraband cigarettes seized at Woodlands checkpoint
AsiaOne
Wednesday, Jun 11, 2014
SINGAPORE - Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers seized 3,340 cartons of contraband cigarettes during an inspection at the Woodlands checkpoint yesterday.
The duty-unpaid cigarettes are worth an estimated value of $350,000, said the ICA in a statement today. The evaded duty and goods and services tax (GST) amounted to about $250,000 and $24,000 respectively.
The cigarettes were found hidden among consignments in the rear of a Malaysia-registered lorry declared to be "transporting metal stamping parts".
The vehicle was seized and its 24-year-old male Malaysian driver was handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigations.
Those found guilty of buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or be jailed for up to six years.
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