cigarette peddling at yew tee

the cigarette peddlers are get bolder by the day. when they first started their business, they were on the side of the road where the yew tee industrial estate is. later, they moved their operation to across the road. they used the vegetation of the secondary forest as their cover. when the authorities removed their cover by clearing the shrubs and cutting down the trees, they stayed away only for a while.

each time the police ambushed and arrested them, once in september 2006 and once again in early 2007, there was no illegal activity for a day or two. but they always make a comeback. there does not seem to be any shortage of young indonesian men willing to do this illegal trade. some of these peddlers have entered our country illegally.

what must be going through their mind? who says singapore laws are strict? who says the police are very efficient? who says you cannot get away with breaking the law in singapore? with the police seemingly impotent in nabbing the peddlers, these foreigners appear to have less and less regards for our laws. they may even be encouraged to commit other petty crimes.

the police have tried getting to the root of the problem - tackling the source, going for the head of the syndicate. but fines and jail do not seem to have detered them.

how about going for the people who buy from these peddlers? they are not difficult to trace and apprehend. i have seen taxi-drivers, truck drivers and private cars drivers stopping to buy these contraband cigarettes. some buyers even exchange phone numbers with these sellers.