Six Bangladeshi men arrested after contraband cigarettes, drugs found in dog food packages in Choa Chu Kang

Six Bangladeshi men were arrested during an enforcement operation at Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1 on April 30.

The six men, aged between 25 and 42, were arrested in connection with alleged duty-unpaid cigarette activities, the Singapore Customs said in a news release on May 13.

A locally registered van, 3,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and about 17g of controlled drugs were seized during the operation.

Acting on information received, Customs officers conducted checks at a public utilities room, where they found duty-unpaid cigarettes concealed in and among packages labelled as dog food.

Drug paraphernalia and sachets believed to contain controlled drugs, including ‘Ice’ and cannabis, were also discovered.

Five men who were present in the room were arrested.

Further checks and questioning led officers to a van parked nearby after they found a vehicle key on one of the suspects. A total of 3,500 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized, including 2,700 cartons in the public utilities room and 800 cartons in the van.

The total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to about $453,965.

A sixth man, aged 29, was later arrested near the location in connection with alleged duty-unpaid cigarette activities.

Investigations are ongoing for all six men, while the suspected drug-related offences have been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigation.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing in duty-unpaid cigarettes are serious offences under the Customs Act and 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. Vehicles used in such offences may also be forfeited.

Members of the public with information on smuggling activities or duty or GST evasion can report it to Singapore Customs online.

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