Contraband cigarettes may be a lot cheaper to procure as compared to their duty-paid counterparts, but it should be noted that they also carry an inherent risk:
A hefty fine.
Indeed, as the following perpetrators found out the hard way…
Going down a curved path only warrants benefits in the short term, not the long run.
6 People Who Bought Contraband Cigarettes Online Arrested; Officers Have Tracked Them Via Digital Footprint
Six men have been apprehended in an enforcement operation on 13 April 2021.
The operation, which was carried out by Singapore Customs, specifically went for patrons of online-based, duty-unpaid cigarettes.
The officers had utilised the digital footprint of apprehended peddlers to trace illegal purchasers.
In total, 9.8kg, or 40 cartons, 85 packets and 116 sticks, of content were confiscated.
The total duty and GST came up to some $4,500.
Fined
Three of the six men apprehended have since been charged.
Investigations are currently ongoing for the rest.
Meanwhile, another 11 men have been given composition fines stretching from $500 to $5,500.
One particular individual, who was slapped with a $4,800 fine, has since been given two weeks to settle the payment.
“Some offenders were prosecuted in court, while others were given heavy composition fines,” said Mr Chua Teck Hui, head of Singapore Customs’ suppression and community engagement branch.
“Foreigners will be repatriated after prosecution.”
Seized
The pandemic may have given rise to more criminal cases, but it appears that enforcement operations have followed suit in terms of intensity.
In May last year, over 17,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized by the authorities in an operation.
On 5 Feb 2021, a 37-year-old Malaysian male attempted to smuggle 1151 cartons and 789 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes through Tuas Checkpoint before he was stopped by ICA officers.
And on 13 January 2021, a total of 11,285 cartons and 7,685 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found stashed inside God of Fortune figurines at Woodlands Checkpoint.
Contraband items may be cheaper in terms of costs.
But as long as they’re on the wrong side of the law, they’ll never truly suffice in the most genuine sense.
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