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ILLEGAL WEAPONS AND DISCS: Items popular among smugglers are air-soft guns and illegal discs. -- PHOTOS: ICA
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OFFICERS at checkpoints are catching fewer immigration offenders, but are fighting a war against petty smugglers.
The goods that these smugglers try to sneak past the officers range from security-related items to duty-unpaid cigarettes, unlicensed medicines and illegal discs.
Taken together, these types of contraband saw an 83 per cent jump in the number of cases.
Meanwhile, the number of foreigners caught without valid travel papers, overstaying and trying to gain unlawful entry fell 13 per cent last year to 7,800.
Security-related items - tops among contraband or illegal imports - include stun guns, air-soft guns that shoot pellets, handcuffs, pepper sprays and knuckle-dusters, as well as controlled items such as decorative swords, bows and arrows, spears and knives.
The number of such cases leapt three-fold - 217 per cent - to 3,800 cases.
The culprits are mainly travellers who, when caught bringing these items in, would say they were gifts or souvenirs; the other explanation they offer when caught with pepper sprays and knuckle-dusters is that they got these for 'self-protection' while overseas.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), in releasing these figures yesterday, warned that such items could be used for crime and even terrorist acts here.
The next highest jump in the number of cases was logged among cigarette smugglers - with a 129 per cent rise to 23,800 cases.
Many of these were small-timers with a few packs each, but the total 1.8 million packs seized last year was still way above 2006's 1.1 million packs.
And this was just the haul made by the ICA at the points of entry into the Republic.
Add in the duty-unpaid cigarettes confiscated elsewhere on the island by Singapore Customs, and the total balloons to 4.4 million packs. That would have been $32.9 million in duty and GST foregone.
The peak, however, was in 2006, when the total was 5.3 million packs seized.
ICA said having to look out for cigarette smugglers was diverting its officers from more important tasks such as checking for weapons and explosives.
This week, ICA officers found some cigarettes and several empty packs in the bag of a 50-year-old man returning through the Singapore Cruise Centre. He denied having any more 'loot', but a check caught him wearing what looked like a suicide bomber's vest under his clothes, except the vest was found packed with cigarettes and tobacco.
With a pack of cigarettes costing less than $2 in Batam and about $3.60 in Malaysia, compared to $11.50 here, it is clear why duty-unpaid cigarettes are good business - so good that syndicates have also entered the game.
Unlicensed medicines registered the third-highest increase in the number of cases - 88 per cent. Items in this category include aphrodisiac pills, narcotic Romilar tablets and the anti-erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis.
As for illegal discs, the number of cases went up by 50. But in all, 34,900 fewer discs than last year were seized because the illegal caches were smaller.
ICA Commissioner Eric Tan, calling on the public for continued support, said: 'Security checks may take a little more time, so we urge the public to cooperate with us, because your security is our topmost priority.'
khush@sph.com.sg
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