Four men were charged on Friday (May 29) after 17,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized from a Yishun warehouse last week, the largest haul netted in a single operation last year.
ICA officers had conducted further checks on a prime mover with an attached container at the Pasir Panjang Scanning Station at about noon last Wednesday. The officers became suspicious when they noticed “anomalies” in the scanned images of the consignment.
“During the course of checks, ICA officers uncovered duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed inside metal cabinets. The case was handed over to Singapore Customs for further investigation,” said the media release.
Singapore Customs officers raided a unit at an industrial building at Yishun Street 23 and observed a man using a forklift to remove metal cabinets from the container nad two other men were seen removing carton boxes containing duty-unpaid cigarettes from 16 metal cabinets and loading the carton boxes back into the container.
The three men were arrested by Singapore Customs officers, who seized 17,250 cartons of contraband cigarettes. The total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) amounted to about S$1.47 million and S$119,270 respectively.
Another 35-year-old man was later arrested on the same day for his involvement in the case. The four men were charged and court proceedings are ongoing.