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SINGAPORE: Immigration officers have caught two Malaysians who tried to bring in contraband items at the Woodlands Checkpoint in separate attempts.
The first case occurred at 6pm on Monday. Officers found optical discs wrapped in plastic hidden in the Malaysian-registered vehicle's fuel tank, rear fender and rear boot cover which have been modified to conceal the illicit items.
The 25-year-old driver admitted that there were 2,071 pieces of uncensored discs in the car. He has been handed over to the Police for further investigations.
If found guilty under the Copyright Act, he could be fined up to S$10,000 per article, up to a maximum of S$100,000, and/or jailed up to five years.
Under the Films Act, anyone found guilty of importing obscene films could be fined S$1,000 for each film imported, up to a maximum of S$40,000, and/or jailed up to 12 months.
Repeat offenders will be fined S$2,000 for each film imported, but not exceeding a total fine of S$100,000, and/or jailed up to two years.
Less than 12 hours later, at around 5am on Tuesday, another Malaysian-registered car was found to have a total of 115 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in a modified floorboard and fuel tank.
The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority said the potential Customs duty and GST payable for the contraband items amounted to S$11,990.
The case was referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.
Upon conviction by the court, first-time offenders can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty evaded and jailed up to three years.
For second or subsequent convictions, offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded and jailed for up to six years.
The offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded. The vehicle used for the smuggling of contraband items will also be seized. - CNA/vm
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