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No way to escape Our Singapore Customs Officers...........

Man cries in pain; Customs officers find duty-unpaid cigarettes .........

Wed, Oct 07, 2009

AsiaOne

The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) found S$22,480 worth of contraband items stashed in a secret compartment of a pleasure craft arriving in Singapore from Batam, Indonesia on October 5, 2009.

A couple was on board "CINDY" at the Changi Anchoraget. The man verbally declared he had one packet of cigarettes and a few cans of beer while the woman made a nil declaration.

During a routine check of the vessel, officers noticed the man to be sitting exceptionally still at one spot despite active movements of the officers within the craft.

When officers attempted to search the space behind the man started to shriek and claimed that he had hurt himself in his left leg which had immobilized him.

The Police Coast Guard (PCG), Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had be activated and the craft was towed to Changi Point Ferry Terminal where the SCDF medics rendered medical treatment to the man.

When the man was moved from the position and had received medical attention, the ICA officers continued with their search of the space behind where the man was seated previously.

The officers discovered two big red-white-blue plastic bags and a box in a hidden compartment within that space.

Instead of the usual travelling items, the bags were found to contain 2,412 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes. The officers also found pallets containing 150 eggs.

The total value of the contraband is about S$22,480 while the potential Customs duty and GST payable amount to about S$19,750 and S$1,120 respectively.

When questioned the man claimed he was only tasked to deliver the cigarettes while the female passenger maintained that she had no knowledge of the contraband items.

The man unrelentingly complained about the pain in his leg and was subsequently sent to the Changi General Hospital, where he was given outpatient treatment. He and his female counterpart were referred to Singapore Customs for further investigations.

The pleasure craft and the exhibits were also handed over to the Customs authority.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20091007-172391.html