Singapore

3 charged over alleged scheme to pass off China-made mattresses as Singapore goods to avoid US duties

Investigators found the mattresses were manufactured in China despite being stamped “Made in Singapore”.

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Ng Hong Siang

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SINGAPORE: Three people and a company were charged on Friday (Aug 14) over their alleged involvement in a scheme to falsely declare China-made mattresses as Singapore-origin goods to evade US import duties.

Singapore permanent resident Yin Yuxi, 28, Chinese national Xue Xin, 37, Singaporean Bernard Koh Wee Yiap, 54, and Singapore-registered company Healthy Living Biotech were charged with offences related to making false declarations and false statements, and applying incorrect trade descriptions, Singapore Customs said in a media release.

Healthy Living Biotech, Yin and Koh were also charged with offences relating to the fraudulent evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the company’s imports.

Singapore Customs began investigations in February 2026 into mattresses exported from Singapore to the US that had been falsely declared as Singapore-origin goods. Investigators found the mattresses were manufactured in China despite being stamped “Made in Singapore”.

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Singapore Customs said the alleged scheme operated between August 2024 and September 2025 and involved goods worth about S$1.9 million (US$1.5 million).

The case comes a day after the Trump administration flagged Singapore as one of more than 40 trading partners it said were at risk of being used to help evade US tariffs on Chinese goods.

A White House report cited concerns over “illegal transshipment”, where goods are routed through a third country facing lower US tariffs to avoid higher duties imposed on Chinese imports. Singapore was placed in a category of economies that the report said had preferential access to the US market, making them “attractive opportunistic targets” for rerouting goods.

The Trump administration said it plans to work with US Customs and Border Protection to use artificial intelligence to detect suspected transshipment by analysing shipment data, routing histories and other information.

Separately, investigators uncovered an alleged scheme to suppress the declared value of Healthy Living Biotech’s imports, thereby evading about S$111,000 of GST.

“Singapore Customs takes a serious view of the falsification of trade declarations or the misuse of Certificates of Origin,” the agency said.

“Such conduct undermines the integrity of international trade documentation and can damage Singapore’s standing as a trusted and reliable global trading hub.”

If convicted of making false declarations or statements required under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act 1995, the suspects face a fine of up to S$10,000, up to two years’ jail or both.

If found guilty of causing incorrect trade descriptions to be applied to exported goods or making a false statement when applying for Certificates of Origin, the men may be fined up to S$100,000 or three times the value of the goods involved in the offence, whichever is greater, jailed for up to two years, or both.

Anyone found guilty of fraudulently evading GST faces a jail term of up to 12 months and a fine of up to 20 times the amount of duty evaded.

Source: CNA/nh(bg)

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