Singapore charges SinSMS for shipping £395k of wines & spirits to N Korea

SinSMS Pte. Ltd, a Singapore based trading firm, has been charged by Singaporean authorities for supplying luxury goods to the North Korean regime, in contravention of the United Nations Act (Chapter 339) which transposes United Nations Resolution 1718 (2006) into Singapore’s domestic law. The company is alleged to have shipped approximately £395k (S$665k) worth of wines and spirits on 4 occasions between 2016 and 2017 to North Korea via the Chinese city of Dalian, near the N Korean border. If convicted, the company faces a fine of up to £595k (S$1m).

SinSMS and its China-based parent company, Dalian Sun Moon Star Logistics Trading, were also targeted by OFAC in August 2018 under Executive Order 13810 for working together to facilitate “illicit shipments to North Korea using falsified shipping documents, including exports of alcohol, tobacco and cigarette-related products” (see post).