Smuggling Cases In Singapore Sykrocket
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http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=431149
Bernama.com, 7 Aug 2009
Smuggling Cases In Singapore Sykrocket
SINGAPORE, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- Despite Singapore's tight border security and stringent checks at its entry points, smuggling cases into the island state has skyrocketed in the first half of the year.
About 23,800 contraband smuggling cases were detected during the six months or a 34.5 per cent increase from the 17,700 cases reported in the same period last year, according to the republic's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
The cases were "the highest since ICA's formation on April 1, 2003," the authority said in its half-yearly report released Friday.
The contrabands were mainly unpaid-duty cigarettes (734,000 packets worth $6.6 million), security-related items such as replica guns, air pistols, knuckle dusters, live bullets, samurai swords and dummy missiles (3,300 cases), flora, fauna and food items (2,700 cases) and illegal discs (520 cases).
However, the number of illegals entering the state recorded a slight drop from 3,113 cases in the first six months of last year, to 3,111 cases this year.
ICA said the smugglers were increasingly turning to more deceptive means of concealment in a bid to evade the stringent checks in place.
They used highly creative delivery modes for contraband and people smuggling, including using tow-truck services, fake fibreglass natural gas tank, and even sealing the contraband within cement and fish tanks.
But the contrabands were easily detected after the ICA swept their cargo with gamma-ray and X-ray scanners.
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dummy missiles?
To scare North Korea ah? Jialats, cannot test fire, wait drop into pond...
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The number can be brought down immediately.
ICA just need to look the other way. Tranda da .. No cases that means ICA successful in curbing smuggling.
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Originally posted by mancha:
The number can be brought down immediately.
ICA just need to look the other way. Tranda da .. No cases that means ICA successful in curbing smuggling.
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No wonder so long jam at causeway.
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Originally posted by mancha:
The number can be brought down immediately.
ICA just need to look the other way. Tranda da .. No cases that means ICA successful in curbing smuggling.
This reminds me of the report where to control illegal loan shark activities, they make it a law to charge those who borrow from loan sharks too.
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Originally posted by charlize:
This reminds me of the report where to control illegal loan shark activities, they make it a law to charge those who borrow from loan sharks too.
in the end, they concentrate on those loan shark's runners more than the loaners and borrowers -
singapore customs expects everyone to know what is contraban without informing the incoming passengers what is the guidelines.
when we go australia, everyone including australian has to fill up immigration cards which include declaration of what is deem to be contraban. As such tourist or aussie alike would know what is deem to be contraban.
i walk thru singapore customs are changi airport numerous times, there are no sign or inform what is contraban, and they assume everyone to know. Once you got caught, and u claim innocent, they will hear no shit and fine the hell out of you.
once i come back from oversea, had a half open pack of cig. i walk out of the custom and was smoking near the airport when a custom office walk towards me and claim i was possesing a contraban cig without declaration. when i claim there are no sign to remind tourist and sigaporeans alike to dispose of their cig, the claim all singaporeans should know andfine $500.
personally, they could have done better by displaying signs to inform incoming tourist and singaporeans much detail information and stop using dirty tricks to increase their customs tax and fine revenue.
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Hell Hilter,
You first time in Singapore ar?
Anyway, if they display it, changi airport will not have so much fund to decorate around to be the world best sleeping airport
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i first time or not doesnt mean i should know right?
however i agree with your second statement. SS Angel
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Well, it's rather common for like travellers, especially smoker to know that singapore cannot bring in cig from other country. but often they give allowance on an open packet. Although sometimes, people still managed to smuggle in a whole carton of DFS...
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They don't know its contraband, which means they have strange ways of carrying them. Like beneath the floor board, in bras, in their underwears, special compartments in fuel tanks, inside durians, inside seat cushions, in spare tyres. Their bag must be full and the only space left is ..... er inside the radiator?