Contraband cigarettes seized in house raid, two men arrested

[SibeiKuaiLan]

Updated: 03/06/2014 17:55 | By Channel NewsAsia

Contraband cigarettes seized in house raid, two men arrested

SINGAPORE: Customs officers arrested two men and seized 2,640 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes in a raid on a terrace house on Thursday.

A 46-year-old Singaporean and a 24-year-old Malaysian were arrested at the two-storey house in Jalan Jarak, off Yio Chu Kang Road.

Officers seized 182 cartons and 640 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes worth more than $28,000.

The contraband cigarettes were wrapped in garbage bags and neatly packed in slabs.

The duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded are estimated to be more than $24,000.

Acting on a tip-off, customs officers began surveillance on the house on Thursday morning.

At 6.30am, the officers moved in and arrested the two men who appeared to be repacking the cigarette cartons.

Investigations into the case are ongoing.

Neighbours said the estate is generally quiet. A resident, who moved into a unit nearby last June, said she had observed different people -- mostly men -- entering and leaving the house.

Singapore Customs said the quantity of contraband cigarettes seized increased 93.3 per cent to 2.9 million packets last year -- from 1.5 million packets in 2012 .

The number of smokers caught for buying contraband cigarettes in Singapore is also on the rise.

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 are severely dealt with while repeat offenders face fines of up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.

The minimum court fines for first-time and repeat offenders of tobacco-related offences are $2,000 and $4,000 respectively.

Repeat offenders who are caught with more than two kilogrammes of tobacco products will also face mandatory imprisonment. - CNA/de/sf