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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