4 arrested for evading over $400,000 in duties and taxes from duty-unpaid cigarettes
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Duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in (clockwise from left) a van, lorry and on the kerbside.
PHOTOS: SINGAPORE CUSTOMS
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SINGAPORE - Four men, aged between 33 and 49, were arrested on July 11 for evading more than $400,000 in duties and taxes.
In a statement on July 16, Singapore Customs said the men, three of whom are Singaporeans and the fourth person a Malaysian, were nabbed at Gul Circle on July 11.
On July 11, customs officers saw two vans parked behind a lorry on Gul Circle, and four men transferring boxes from the lorry to the van behind it.
Officers uncovered 480 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in the van, and another 3,488 cartons in the lorry and on the kerbside.
In total, 3,968 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized, along with the lorry and two vans, said Singapore Customs, and the total duty and goods and services tax (GST) evaded amounted to about $430,019.
Investigations are ongoing.
Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and GST Act, said Singapore Customs.
Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both. Vehicles used in committing such offences can also be seized.
Those with information on smuggling activities or evasion of duty or GST can report it to Singapore Customs at
