3 men arrested for evading cigarette duty and GST worth almost $600k
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SINGAPORE – Three men were arrested and a total of 5,450 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized during a Customs operation in Woodlands Link.
The total duty and goods and services tax (GST) evaded amounted to $590,626, said the Singapore Customs on May 28.
During the operation on May 23, officers conducted checks on the three men and a van.
They found 1,250 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in the van’s rear compartment. They also seized $26,404 in cash, suspected to be proceeds from the sales of cigarettes, in a backpack belonging to one of the men.
The three Indian nationals, aged 20, 38 and 39, were arrested.
After interviewing the men and finding a key on one of them, officers conducted another check on a lorry parked at an industrial building in Woodlands. They found 4,200 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in two wooden crates in the cargo compartment of the vehicle.
Under the Customs Act and GST Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences.
Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, face a jail term of up to six years, or both.
Singapore Customs encouraged those with information on smuggling activities or evasion of duty or GST to provide information through its website
