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Two Bangladeshi men, 23 and 28, were arrested, as the Singapore Customs seized 2,500 cartons and 19 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes in an operation on Dec. 22.

Both men arrested on the spot

According to a press release on Dec. 28, Singapore Customs officers were checking in on two men near a vacant industrial building at Gul Circle.

One of them was climbing over the metal gate of the building. Both men had attempted to flee the scene but were stopped by the officers.

The nearby store unit was then searched, where 1,097 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found. The two men were arrested on the spot.

Officers were able to uncover another three cartons in the vicinity of Gul Circle, and 19 more sticks in one of the men's possession.

Further investigations revealed that the men had retrieved the cigarettes from black plastic crates within the building, and had repacked them into black trash bags to be handed off for delivery by other unknown people.

A thorough search of the vacant building was conducted, and the officers managed to find another 1,400 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in another store unit.

Over $230k of duty & GST evaded

The total duty evaded was $213,500, while the goods and services tax (GST) evaded was $16,990.

Singapore Customs warns that buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act.

Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.

Members of public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of duty or GST can call the Singapore Customs hotline on 1800-2330000 or email [email protected] to report these illegal activities.

Top photo via Singapore Customs