Two foreigners, a 25-year-old Malaysian and a 38-year-old Chinese national, were arrested by Singapore Customs after being caught with over 9,200 cans and bottles of duty-unpaid beer and liquor, which were elaborately concealed among cartons and packaging labeled as non-alcoholic drinks. The total duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded was about $19,791.
'Elaborate concealment': Customs arrest 2 foreigners, seize over 9,200 duty-unpaid beer and liquor The duo, a 25-year-old Malaysian and a 38-year-old Chinese national, were arrested at an industrial building in Bedok The duty-unpaid beer and liquor were elaborately concealed to avoid detection, said the Singapore Customs.
Two foreigners, aged 25 and 38, were arrested on May 5 for allegedly dealing in duty-unpaid beer and liquor. In a media release on Wednesday , Singapore Customs said it uncovered sophisticated concealment methods involving non-alcoholic packaging during its enforcement operation on May 5, adding that more than 9,200 cans and bottles of duty-unpaid beer and liquor were seized.
During the operation, Singapore Customs officers observed a man moving a pallet of goods out of an industrial unit along Bedok North Avenue 4. The officers went on to uncover 13 pallets containing duty-unpaid beer and liquor concealed among cartons and packaging labelled as non-alcoholic drinks. A total of 2,460 cans and 6,468 bottles of beer, as well as 320 bottles of liquor, were seized during the operation.
According to the Singapore Customs, the total duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded amounted to about $19,791. Through its investigations, the law enforcement agency uncovered that the duty-unpaid beer and liquor were smuggled into Singapore via containers using what it described as "elaborate concealment methods designed to evade detection". The Singapore Customs said the bottled beer was wrapped with labels for a non-alcoholic beverage and packed in boxes for non-alcoholic beverages.
These cartons contained both cans of beer and non-alcoholic beverages, with the cans of beer strategically placed in the centre of the carton boxes to avoid detection. Prior to local distribution, the non-alcoholic beverage wrappers would be removed and the beers repacked into carton boxes for alcoholic beverages. Apart from the duo, another three individuals — a 30-year-old Malaysian woman, a 34-year-old Vietnamese man, and a 41-year-old permanent resident — are assisting with ongoing Customs investigations.
Said a Singapore Customs spokesperson: "The deliberate concealment of duty-unpaid goods among legitimate goods reflects the lengths smugglers will go to evade taxes and detection.
"Singapore Customs will continue to act firmly against such illicit activities and pursue offenders without hesitation. " Under the Customs Act and the GST Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing in duty-unpaid liquor are serious offences. Offenders can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to two years.
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