SINGAPORE: Budget hotels are being used by some syndicates dealing in illegal cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Singapore Customs said the syndicates have been making use of budget hotels to store and sell such illegal goods to other distributors, peddlers and at times, end-consumers in the street.
Since January this year, 10 persons have been arrested in seven such hotels and a total of 4,350 packets have been seized.
Last year, 50 people were caught in 20 budget hotels and 12,500 packets of cigarettes seized.
The distributors would usually engage cheap labour to help look after the stocks hidden in the hotels and hand over such illegal goods to the buyers.
These low-cost "guardian angels" could double up as salesmen touting the illegal stuff to hotel guests or to passers-by and receive a commission for every successful transaction made
Singapore Customs urges hotel management and staff to inform them whenever they suspect or know of any illegal cigarettes activities going on in their premises.
This it said will help to keep illegal activities out and provide greater level of safety and security to their guests.
It also urges the hotels to maintain proper records of their guests' identities. - 938LIVE/vm
Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:15 pm