SINGAPORE: Freight forwarding company Megaton Shipping was fined S$5,000 on Wednesday (Apr 4) for its part in getting an import permit from Singapore Customs by providing false information. This was done with the purpose of smuggling cigarettes to another country, said authorities.
Megaton Shipping had in May last year given false information to a logistics company which proceeded to obtain the import permit.
The cigarettes in the container were therefore declared as “T-shirts Singles and Other Vests Knitted or Crocheted of Other Textile Materials for Men or Boys”, said Singapore Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in a joint media release.
Investigations showed that Megaton Shipping had been hired by an unknown person to ship the container from Ho Chi Minh to the United Kingdom through Singapore on May 8, 2017, said the authorities.
On May 29, Megaton Shipping instructed the logistics company to make in import permit declaration.
With the permit, the container was removed from the Keppel Free Trade Zone to a bonded warehouse for storage before the re-export to the UK.
A total of 39,900 cartons of cigarettes were found in the container. (Photo: Singapore Customs)
However, “anomalies” were detected in scanned images of the 40-foot container, said authorities. Instead of men’s clothes, officers found 39,900 cartons of cigarettes in the container at the Tanjong Pagar Scanning Station on Jun 2.
“By providing untrue information to the logistics company, Megaton Shipping committed an offence under the Customs Act for causing an untrue import declaration to be made to Singapore Customs,” the release stated.
Added assistant director-general for intelligence and investigation Yeo Sew Meng: “We believe that the cigarettes were intended to be smuggled into another country.
“Singapore Customs does not condone the use of our port and logistics facilities for transnational smuggling, and we will continue to work proactively with our local partner agencies and international counterparts to stamp out such illicit activities.”
Mr Yeo also said that companies should exercise “customer due diligence” to prevent themselves from being exploited by syndicates for illicit activities.
Those found guilty of making or causing the making of any declaration that is untrue may be fined a maximum of S$10,000 or the equivalent of the amount of customs duty if the amount is more, jailed up to 12 months or both.
