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SINGAPORE: At about 9pm on Tuesday (Oct 8), a group comprising 12 members of the media shuffled into two vans with personnel from the Singapore Customs.
We had no clue where we were headed to and only knew that there had been an enforcement operation on duty-unpaid liquor.
While these operations occur regularly, this was the first time the media had been invited to witness one.
Pulling up under a Housing Board (HDB) block in the Jurong West area, CNA observed that a truck had been cordoned off at the loading/unloading bay.
Customs officers flanked the vehicle, inspecting boxes of contraband liquor.
A total of 129 bottles containing two litres of baijiu – clear Chinese liquor with an alcohol content of 56 per cent – were found in the back as well as under the front passenger seat of a truck used for delivering the contraband goods.
These were among the 257 bottles that were seized during enforcement operations at several locations against peddlers and buyers earlier this week, Singapore Customs said in a media release on Friday. The total estimated volume of duty-unpaid liquor seized was around 668.5 L.
The truck as well as two distillery machines were also seized during the operations.
The total estimated duty and GST evaded amounted to about $35,932 (US$27,521), Singapore Customs said.
Two male Chinese nationals and a Malaysian woman, aged between 42 and 63, were arrested for delivering contraband liquor.
A 45-year-old Singaporean man was also arrested for storing duty-unpaid liquor in his residence, said Singapore Customs, adding that investigations are ongoing.
From January to June this year, there have been 869 duty-unpaid liquor offenders, according to statistics provided by the customs.
During this period, a total volume of 10,020L of contraband liquor were seized.
The operation that the media witnessed on Tuesday night involved the 42-year-old Chinese national, who is a work permit holder.
CNA observed that he was seated in a car with officers, just a short distance away from the seized truck.
Speaking briefly to a reporter in Mandarin, the man said he has been in Singapore for five years and had been delivering duty-unpaid liquor for about a year.
While he knew doing so was illegal, he said he wanted to make some extra cash as he had old parents and young children back home.
He shared that he learnt about the delivery job from a website but did not want to delve into the details.
The man said he gets about two to three gigs per month, earning between S$30 to S$100 for each delivery.
In another operation in the Jurong West area, another Chinese national, aged 47, was arrested for delivering two bottles of baijiu at the lift lobby of a HDB block.
Officers conducted a follow-up search at his residence in Macpherson and seized two more bottles of baijiu, customs said in the media release.
A third case, also in the Jurong West area, led to the arrest of the 63-year-old Malaysian woman for delivering duty-unpaid liquor near the rubbish chute of a HDB block.
A follow-up search by officers at her residence in Woodlands led to the discovery of more contraband liquor manufactured from a home brewery setup in the unit, said the customs.
A total of 105 bottles and two distillery machines used to brew the liquor were seized.
Of the bottles seized, 73 of them are 5L bottles and the remaining are estimated 500ml bottles of home-brewed duty-unpaid liquor.
Meanwhile, the Singaporean man who was arrested had stored duty-unpaid liquor at his residence in Loyang.
Customs officers seized 19 bottles of baijiu – 18 bottles each containing 500ml of liquor – and one bottle holding about 250ml of liquor.
The liquor was allegedly intended for sale, said Singapore Customs.
Deputy head of the suppression and community engagement branch Eric Chan said enforcement actions such as the operations on Tuesday disrupt the supply chain by targeting the smuggling networks and illicit sellers.
As their methods evolve, Singapore Customs also remains vigilant and adaptable, he said.
“We are actively monitoring and acting against the peddling and buying of duty-unpaid liquor on platforms like WeChat and Telegram.
“While the price difference or the allure of quick profits might tempt buyers and sellers, the penalties are severe and simply not worth the risk,” said Mr Chan.
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 20 times the amount of duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded, jailed for up to two years or both. Vehicles used in such offences are liable to be forfeited.
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