Three individuals were caught in a Customs operation involving contraband liquor, resulting in significant fines and one jail sentence.
SINGAPORE – Three individuals were fined more than $600,000 collectively for involvement in dealing with duty-unpaid liquor, according to Singapore Customs. The fines were handed down after a raid on May 11, 2024, in which 259 bottles of contraband liquor were seized, evading over $28,000 in duties and taxes.
Wang Benshi, a Singaporean, was fined $220,000, while his wife Yan Liping, a permanent resident, and her brother Yan Bingzeng, a Chinese national, each received fines of $203,000. Yan Bingzeng opted to serve a 53-day jail term instead of paying the fine.
The group was caught by Customs officers near Woodlands Avenue 6 when Yan Liping was seen carrying two red plastic bags, and Yan Bingzeng was pushing two trolleys with boxes. After searching their home, authorities discovered an additional 205 bottles of duty-unpaid liquor.
Wang Benshi had been purchasing the liquor from a social media supplier since 2021 for personal use but began selling it in 2023. He stored his stock at home and used his wife and brother-in-law for handling the sales and deliveries.
Singapore Customs warned that dealing in duty-unpaid goods is a serious offence under the Customs Act and GST Act, with penalties including fines up to 20 times the evaded amount or imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
