Just this month, three Chinese students, two of whom were graduate students, were arrested in Singapore for buying tax-untaxed cigarettes online. As soon as the news came out, many netizens lamented: It’s not worth sacrificing your academic future just for a few cigarettes!
Today we will talk about Singapore’s strict regulations on cigarettes and the “bloody lessons” that really happened.
One college student and two graduate students
Buy cigarettes online and ship to Singapore
According to the news released by the Customs Bureau on social platforms yesterday (March 24), the operation was carried out from the 10th to the 11th of this month. Among the four arrested, except for a 34-year-old Singaporean woman, the other three are Chinese men, aged between 19 and 23 years old. One of the three is a college student and two are graduate students. In addition, a 40-year-old Chinese man is currently assisting in the investigation.
Image source: FB@Singapore Customs
According to the case, the five people were suspected of contacting overseas sellers through social media platforms to purchase untaxed cigarettes and sending the cigarettes into Singapore by mailing packages.
The Customs Bureau revealed that three people have been charged in the national court, and the investigation against the other two is still continuing. During the operation, law enforcement officers seized more than 87 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes, involving a total of approximately S$11,400 in evaded duties and excise taxes.
How strict are Singapore’s cigarette regulations?
1. Cigarettes are “taxable goods”
In Singapore, tobacco products are one of the four categories of taxable goods. This means that all imported cigarettes must pay customs duties and excise taxes, and are not exempt even for personal use.
2. Every cigarette must have an “ID card”
All cigarettes sold legally in Singapore must be printed with the words "SDPC" and a series of vertical stripes. Cigarettes without this logo are all illegal and tax-evading cigarettes.
3. There is no duty-free quota for cigarettes
Many travelers may know that you can bring alcohol into the country, but please note: there is no duty-free allowance for cigarettes! Passengers who are over 18 years old, entering from countries other than Malaysia and leaving the country for no less than 48 hours can enjoy duty-free discounts on alcohol, but not cigarettes. You must declare and pay taxes when bringing cigarettes into the country.
The Customs Department emphasized in a statement that it is illegal to purchase, possess, store or smoke tax-unpaid cigarettes, and offenders will face severe legal sanctions. According to relevant Singapore laws, those involved may be fined up to 40 times the amount of tax evaded, or face up to six years in prison, or both.
It is worth noting that for foreign students, if they are involved in a case, they will not only face criminal penalties, but their student passes may also be revoked, which means that they will not be able to continue to complete their studies in Singapore.
The Customs Bureau reminds the public not to break the law by taking one's own actions. Any behavior involving tax evasion on cigarettes will be severely punished.
As a final reminder, when entering Singapore, please remember the rules of the red and green channels:
Checkpoint personnel have the right to conduct selective inspections at the green channel. Improper use of lanes can result in fines of up to S$10,000 or imprisonment.
If you come across any clues about smuggled or duty-unpaid cigarettes, you can report it through the Customs Department’s website: https://go.gov.sg/reportcustomsoffence
Similar cases
Someone got lucky and fined
Someone is in jail
Just a few days ago, a 57-year-old Chinese man was intercepted at T1 of Changi Airport. He initially declared that he was carrying 10 cartons of cigarettes, but law enforcement officers found 218 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in his belongings and has been handed over to the Customs Bureau for investigation.
Last month, a 40-year-old Chinese man was suspected of taking tax-unpaid cigarettes from an air cooler for packaging and distribution. Law enforcement officers seized a total of 14,550 cartons of tax-unpaid cigarettes, with a tax evasion amount of approximately S$1,578,512. The man has been arrested and court proceedings are ongoing.
In January this year, the Customs Department raided the Jurong East Industrial Building and the dormitory for foreign workers, arrested 14 men and seized more than 170 packs of duty-unpaid cigarettes. Twelve of them received fines ranging from S$500 to S$800, and two were charged in court.
