SINGAPORE: Three Malaysian men were charged for dealing with duty-unpaid cigarettes, after a total of 3,934 cartons of the cigarettes were seized in two operations last Friday, Singapore Customs said on Monday (Mar 27).
Customs officers mounted an operation at a commercial building in Toh Guan Road in the early hours of Mar 24, and watched as two of the men transferred boxes into cars in the building’s car park. Suspecting that there were contraband cigarettes, officers moved in and detained the men. They also seized 3,450 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and three vehicles.
A third man fled the scene but was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint later that day, the media release said.
Acting on leads from preliminary investigations, customs officers conducted another operation that day at a self-storage facility in Woodlands, and seized another 484 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes.
The total amount of duty and goods and services tax (GST) involved in these two operations amounted to S$312,260 and S$23,100 respectively.
The three Malaysian men, all aged 23, were charged for dealing with duty-unpaid cigarettes on Mar 25 and court proceedings are ongoing, Singapore Customs said.
If convicted, they can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.
