2 men arrested for evading over $292,000 in GST, duty on cigarettes
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Two Bangladeshi men are believed to have been engaged to collect and repack duty-unpaid cigarettes in a unit at Tuas View Square.
PHOTOS: SINGAPORE CUSTOMS
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SINGAPORE – Two Bangladeshi men were arrested for evading duty and tax during a raid on a Tuas industrial unit by Singapore Customs officers on Aug 24.
The operation uncovered 2,071 cartons of contraband cigarettes, amounting to about $292,712 in goods and services tax evaded, Singapore Customs said in a statement on Aug 28.
All the illegally imported cigarettes and two lorries allegedly used to transport the contraband were seized.
The men, aged 36 and 37, are believed to have been engaged by an unknown person to collect and repack the duty-unpaid cigarettes in the unit at Tuas View Square.
One of the men, an employee of the company occupying the unit, had allegedly misused the premises for the illicit activity.
Court proceedings are ongoing.
If found guilty of buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods, offenders may be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and tax evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.
Vehicles used in committing the offences are also subject to forfeiture.
Four Malaysian men on June 8 were charged with the same offences, after Customs officers arrested them during another operation at Tuas View Crescent.
