Singapore
Hizman Amran, 23, was approached by customs officers when they spotted him smoking what they suspected was a duty-unpaid cigarette.
FILE PHOTO: A smoker lights up a cigarette. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
SINGAPORE: When Singapore Customs officers spotted a man smoking what they suspected to be a contraband cigarette at Punggol Walk, they showed him their warrant cards and asked to check the cigarette.
But 23-year-old Hizman Amran refused to cooperate and walked away.
When one of the officers requested that Hizman produce his identification card, he pushed the officer, causing him to fall backwards.
Hizman attempted to flee but was eventually chased down and arrested, struggling violently and uttering profanities at the officers during the arrest, Singapore Customs said in a news release on Thursday (Sep 6).
For resisting arrest in the May 12 incident, Hizman was sentenced on Tuesday to two weeks in jail. He was also fined S$1,000 for storing duty-unpaid cigarettes.
Officers found a pack of contraband cigarettes in his bag after the arrest, and another six packs in a follow-up search of his home.
Singapore Customs’ head of the Suppression and Community Engagement Branch, Mr Yeo Ban Meng, said the agency takes a serious view on members of the public who abuse or obstruct its officers when they are carrying out their official duties.
“Firm action, including prosecution, will be taken against such offenders,” he added.
Anyone who assaults, abuses or obstructs a customs officer in the execution of his duty or intentionally resists arrest can be fined up to S$20,000 and jailed up to three years.
Those who buy, sell, deliver, store, possess or deal with duty-unpaid goods can also be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded and jailed up to six years.
