Smokers in S'pore shocked by extent to catch those smoking duty unpaid cigarettes

Singapore Customs demanded to inspect smokers' cigarettes.

Belmont Lay | July 20, 2017, 06:29 PM

A July 19 Lianhe Zaobao video is going viral:

The video is a news report about enforcement action taken by Singapore Customs against smokers in Singapore who are smoking duty unpaid cigarettes.

According to the Chinese video:

On Tuesday, July 18, Singapore Customs staked out at Ang Mo Kio housing estate to carry out enforcement action. In a two-and-a-half hour operation, they managed to intercept 35 individuals who had duty unpaid cigarettes in their possession.

Once a smoker is seen holding a cigarette, the enforcement officers will step forward and identify themselves and demand to inspect the cigarette.

Once the cigarette in possession is found to not have the Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette (SDPC) mark, the offender will be brought to a make-shift reporting centre.

The SPDC stamp is used to mark out duty paid cigarettes.

Once the offender has been brought to the reporting centre, he must hand over his duty unpaid cigarettes and report under what circumstances were the duty unpaid cigarettes brought into Singapore.

In this enforcement exercise, 329 duty unpaid cigarettes were confiscated.

The minimal punishment for possessing duty unpaid cigarette is a S$500 fine. The punishment is incremental, depending on the number of duty unpaid cigarettes in the offender's possession.

Since March 1, 2013, cigarettes sold in Singapore without a new Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette (SDPC) mark have been deemed duty-unpaid, illegal and liable for prosecution.

The Singapore Customs said previously the new mark is meant to increase the effectiveness of anti-contraband cigarette operations conducted across the island to curb the selling, buying and possession of contraband.

This is to help the public differentiate duty paid and unpaid cigarettes.

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Reactions to this news have been a mix of shock and resignation: