Attempt to smuggle counterfeit branded goods foiled by ICA

Attempt to smuggle in assortments of suspected counterfeit branded goods on 16 July at Tanjong Pagar Scanning Station was foiled by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (11 Aug), the ICA said that its officers noticed anomalies in the x-ray images of two containers at the scanning station and proceeded to unstuff them at the importers’ premises.

Suspected counterfeit branded goods such as handbags, wallets, footwear, t-shirts, pens, and cosmetics were then uncovered.

According to the authority, the detections led to the arrest of four suspects involved in the sale of the counterfeit branded goods on 23 July.

The ICA asserted that this method of concealment is a cause for concern as similar methods may be used by people with ill intent to smuggle security items into Singapore, adding that it will continue to conduct security checks on passengers, goods, and vehicles to safeguard Singapore’s security.

The Police stressed that it also takes a serious view on intellectual property right (IPR) infringements, and will not hesitate to take action against perpetrators who show blatant disregard for our IPR laws.

Persons found guilty of importing, possessing, or distributing goods with a falsely applied trademark for the purpose of trade may be fined up to a maximum of S$100,000, or an imprisonment term which may extend to five years, or both.