A Singaporean man who bought duty-unpaid cigarettes via WeChat was jailed and fined.
Fong Seng Fatt, 46, was sentenced by the State Courts on 13 August 2018 to two months’ imprisonment and a fine of $6,000. As Fong did not pay the court fine, he will serve another 24 days of default imprisonment.
Investigations revealed that Fong had been buying duty-unpaid cigarettes from a seller via WeChat for his own consumption. On 10 August 2018, he placed an order with the seller and was informed that the cigarettes would be delivered to him that evening. Fong’s plans were foiled by Singapore Customs officers. They saw Fong receiving a plastic bag containing two cartons and 60 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes from a man at the void deck of an HDB block in Lorong 1 Toa Payoh and arrested both men. The officers conducted a search of Fong’s HDB flat and recovered another 23 cartons and 75 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes. The other man is being dealt with separately.
A total of 25 cartons and 135 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized. The total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to about $4,710 and $330 respectively.
Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing in duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act. Offenders will be severely dealt with. They can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.
Source: Singapore Customs