SINGAPORE: Singapore police arrested five Singaporeans and two Indonesians on Saturday in a joint operation between the police and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Police said that they captured a boat that had been showing erratic behavior. It was caught near the Sungei Jurong Bridge. According to officials, as the police neared, those on board began dumping cigarettes into the water, wrapped in plastic bags, which they had hoped they would return to claim. Officers from the Police Coast Guard and ICA immediately moved in to stop them. The 7 suspects, aged between 24 to 52 years, were arrested as they tried to flee the scene. The two Indonesians were the crew of the supply boat while the Singaporeans were on the shore to retrieve the boxes from the water. They attempted to smuggle into Singapore a total of 22,900 packets of duty unpaid cigarettes, valued at about $240,303. The total Excise Duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded is about $200,846. The cigarettes and the supply boat have also been seized. Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded and/or jailed for up to 6 years. With effect from January 1, 2012, the minimum court fine for first-time and repeat offenders of tobacco-related offenses has been raised to $2,000 and $4,000 respectively. Repeat offenders who are caught with more than two kilograms of tobacco products will also face mandatory imprisonment. For possessing a packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes, buyers may face a minimum fine of $500 or prosecution in court.
