The Singapore Customs received a tipoff regarding counterfeit phones on October 12. That night, officers stopped six shipments from Hong Kong, which contained 180 cellular phones, at the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore. The case was then remitted to the Criminal Investigation Department ( CID), said the joint press release.
CID officers subsequently carried out an islandwide operation on Friday, October 13, where a raid at a warehouse, office in Ubi, residential Units in Pasir Ris, Toa Payoh, Hougang and bright hill were carried out. The four men, who were arrested, were between the ages of 30 to 41. 288 counterfeit phones worth S$288,000 were found.
The Preliminary investigations revealed the four men to be involved in a crime syndicate which distributes counterfeit mobile phones. The press release further said that more investigations are underway.
A similar incident occurred previously in 2017, on April 14, where the SPF and Singapore Customs dealt with a case involving a syndicate selling counterfeit mobile phones and arrested eight people. They recovered products with an estimated street value of almost S$1.5 million and a total of 10,660 pieces of trademark-infringing mobile phones and component parts.
As per the law, if any person is found guilty of dealing, selling or distributing goods illegally, or with falsely applied trademark shall be liable to pay a fine of up to S$100,000 or an imprisonment for up to five years, or they can be put to task for both.
