A man, aged 40, was arrested on 28 June at the Woodlands Checkpoint on allegations of illegally importing and possessing various weapons, controlled items, and contraband items.
In a joint statement, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) confirmed that the arrest took place on June 28, 2023.
According to reports, an ICA officer stationed at the Woodlands Checkpoint profiled and flagged a Malaysia-registered vehicle for additional scrutiny at approximately 3:15 pm on that day.
The male passenger, upon inspection, was allegedly found to be carrying 10 batons, two stun devices, 10 e-cigarettes, five packs of contraband cigarettes, and three boxes of enhancement pills.
Additionally, another passenger, a 31-year-old woman, was arrested for allegedly associating with individuals carrying offensive weapons in public areas. The case has been handed over to the police for further investigation.
Ongoing investigations are currently underway regarding this incident.
It is important to note that the importation of any type of arms into Singapore is strictly prohibited by law. Offenders caught importing guns, arms, explosives, poisonous or noxious gas, or substances can face a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to S$10,000.
Furthermore, carrying offensive weapons in public spaces or consorting with individuals carrying such weapons is also a serious offense. Convicted offenders can be subjected to a maximum imprisonment term of three years and may also be subject to caning as a punishment.
Other similar cases
20-year-old Tan Yan Rong was found guilty in July last year for offences under the Arms and Explosives Act.
He was found with 19 replica guns during a police investigation, as well as selling at least 16 other similar weapons.
Tan had gone on Taobao, an online shopping platform, to buy the replica guns for the purposes of keeping them for himself and reselling them online.
The ICA detected four sets of airsoft guns during an operation at Lam Soon Industrial Building in Hillview Avenue on 7 September 2020, and reported it to the police.
A consignment with Tan’s address was found by the police during their investigations, with a plastic toy revolver and three plastic toy rifles being found inside a container.
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Tan was arrested on suspicion of having committed offences under the Arms and Explosives Act on the same day that ICA made the report, and 19 replica guns were found at his home and seized at about 10pm that day.
ST Engineering Synthesis assessed the guns as being capable of shooting pellets and were thusly defined as “arms” under the Arms and Explosives Act, which Tan was not authorised to possess.
He bought the guns either to keep or resell to local buyers via Carousell, where he could deliver the items to the buyer in person and accept payment via PayNow or Cash on Delivery.
Tan admitted to buying the guns online from 2018/2019 to about a few weeks before his arrest, and investigators retrieved his WeChat and Taobao logs, showing that he had at least 5 customers from March to Sepmetb 2020 to whom he had sold at least 16 of the guns and accessories.
Each of the guns was sold for about $100 to $620.