RAID ON CONTRABAND CIGARETTE
PEDDLERS
Nipped in the bud
IT was the end of the week for these factory workers at Yew Tee
Industrial Estate on Friday.
In panic, illegal cigarette sellers try to blend in with the crowd.
Some toss bags of cigarettes on the road.
It was the start of the work day for contraband cigarette peddlers
who have been regulars in that area.
For them, this was the perfect time to make a killing as dozens of
workers left their workplaces to the bus-stops and carpark.
LAY IN WAIT
They stood in broad daylight, flashing their illegal wares, in full
view of passing traffic along Woodlands Road.
Little did they know that it would be the end of the line for their
business as the police and customs officials lay in wait.
As cigarettes changed hands for cash, the authorities struck.
About 30 to 40 of them swooped down on the illegal dealers who were
still in the midst of their transactions.
They were caught by surprise. They had nowhere to hide.
They tried to run or blend in with the rest of the workers. Some
even flung their plastic bags of wares on the street.
But they were too slow as the authorities could tell them apart
from the rest of the other stunned eye-witnesses.
Mr Gopinathan, who was buying groceries at a provision shop nearby,
said he thought a fight had broken out at first.
Said the Indian foreign worker who is in his 20s: 'I heard shouting
and then we saw people dressed like construction workers chasing
other construction workers.'
Three Indonesians selling unpaid-duty cigarettes were arrested in
the raid, said spokesmen from the police and Singapore
Customs.
Another man, an Indian national, was arrested for buying one
packet. He was fined $100.
He, along with the three dealers, were detained, handcuffed and
taken away in a white van.
A total of 175 packets of unpaid-duty cigarettes were seized, worth
a market value of $1,925.
The duty and GST on these cigarettes amounted to $1,311.
The cigarettes were sold for between $5 and $5.50 per packet.
Normally, one packet costs between $8.50 and $11.
The New Paper was at the scene about 15 minutes after the raid
started.
As the police checked the illegal dealers' belongings and goods,
the dealers appeared subdued and frightened, keeping their heads
bowed throughout.
Officers also combed the nearby wooded area.
Armed with 1m-long canes, they beat about the undergrowth for
hidden packets of cigarettes.
The grassy patch in the industrial estate was littered with empty
cigarette carton boxes and plastic bags.
By then, the traffic along Woodlands Road - between Stagmont Ring
Road and Yew Industrial Estate - had slowed to a crawl.
The police also blocked the entry into the industrial estate. None
of the illegal dealers escaped arrest.
One motorcyclist thought a VIP motorcade was the cause of the
traffic slow-down.
The commotion also attracted passers-by as they craned their heads
from buses and from across the street for a closer look.
The raid involved officers from the police and Singapore
Customs.
They arrived in lorries and cars a few hours before the raid,
disguised as factory workers. Some were even dressed as
joggers.
One factory worker, who declined to be named, said that normally he
would buy a packet from the illegal peddlers on his way home.
'Luckily, I didn't buy today,' he muttered before hurrying
away.
The New Paper had reported on the activities of these illegal
dealers last year.
Of late, they have been targeting students in the vicinity,
resulting in some school principals keeping watch to stop their
students from buying the cigarettes.
The place has also been raided several times.
Despite this, shopkeepers in the area predict that that the illegal
dealers will return in full force.
Said one: 'After a raid, it's all quiet for a while because they
are scared. But you'll see... they will always come back.
'During the recent Chinese New Year holidays, they got even bolder.
They would walk across the main road and try to flag down buyers in
cars.'
The shopkeepers also admitted that they are losing out to them, but
didn't want to reveal the extent of their losses.
The three men arrested for selling the cigarettes were charged in
court on Saturday.
If convicted, they could be fined up to 20 times the amount of tax
evaded or jailed, or both.
(Source: The New Paper, 6/2/06)
