SINGAPORE: Three Malaysian men have been arrested for suspected evasion of S$812,384 (S$1=RM3.30) in cigarette duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) following an enforcement operation at Gul Drive.
In a statement, Singapore Customs said that during the operation on June 10, its officers observed the three men, aged 24, 30, and 40, transferring brown boxes between two Malaysian-registered vehicles parked by the roadside.
“Officers moved in to conduct checks and found 7,400 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in a prime mover attached to a trailer, and 100 cartons in a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).
“The three men were arrested at the scene. Both vehicles and the duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized,” the agency said on Tuesday, adding that the two vehicles had entered Singapore separately.
Singapore Customs said the 30-year-old suspect had allegedly driven the prime mover from Malaysia, with the duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed among boxes of coffee products.
The 24-year-old allegedly assisted with transferring the duty-unpaid cigarettes to the MPV, while the 40-year-old was allegedly tasked with delivering them to customers in Singapore.
All suspects are believed to have been recruited by unidentified individuals in Malaysia.
Court proceedings are ongoing.
Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing, or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act.
Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years. Vehicles used in such offences are also subject to forfeiture.
