Man allegedly used Kaki Bukit self-storage unit to stash over 1,100 bottles of duty-unpaid liquor worth $75,800
A 40-year-old Chinese national has been arrested after the Singapore Customs seized more than 1,100 bottles of duty-unpaid liquor during an enforcement operation in Kaki Bukit.
The operation took place on June 22 after Customs officers acted on a tip-off.
They observed the man unloading brown boxes from a Singapore-registered lorry onto a trolley before transporting them into a storage room at a self-storage facility in the vicinity of Kaki Bukit Crescent.
Officers found 396 bottles of duty-unpaid liquor in the lorry and another 792 bottles in the storage room, bringing the total to 1,188 bottles.
The total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to about $75,835, the Singapore Customs said in a news release on July 1.
The liquor and the lorry were seized.
Investigations revealed that the man had allegedly obtained the job of storing and delivering the duty-unpaid liquor through a social messaging platform.
He was charged in court on June 24. Court proceedings are ongoing.
Singapore Customs said that under the Customs Act and the GST Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or otherwise dealing in duty-unpaid liquor are serious offences.
Offenders may be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, jailed for up to two years, or both. Vehicles used in committing such offences are also liable to forfeiture.
Singapore Customs added that it remains committed to enforcing customs regulations and protecting revenue. Members of the public with information on smuggling activities or duty or GST evasion are encouraged to report them to the authorities.
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