ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – A 50-year-old cleaner was slapped with four charges on Monday over 125 cartons and 70 packs of duty-unpaid cigarettes seized by Singapore Customs officers on February 24.
Chinese national Cheng Yongguang had allegedly bought the contraband cigarettes through a social media platform, before allegedly selling some of them to his colleagues.
The remaining contraband was stored in his bedroom, and at his workplace in Tai Seng Drive, Singapore Customs said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Court documents revealed that he possessed 71 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes containing 200 sticks each, and another 50 cartons containing 160 sticks each, at his residence in Bedok Reservoir Road.
The contraband found there was valued at SGD16,193.50, with the duty evaded amounting to more than SGD14,000. Meanwhile, the goods and services tax (GST) evaded was over SGD1,200.
A smaller quantity of duty-unpaid cigarettes was found at his workplace – the duty evaded was more than SGD1,200 and the GST evaded was SGD113.50.
If convicted, Cheng could be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, jailed for up to three years, or both.
