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".
Three individuals and a company face charges in Singapore over an alleged scheme to falsely declare China-made mattresses as Singapore-origin products in order to avoid US import duties. Yin Yuxi, 28, Xue Xin, 37, Bernard Koh Wee Yiap, 54, and the Singapore-registered company Healthy Living Biotech were brought to court on Friday (Aug 14).
The suspects were charged with making false declarations and statements, applying incorrect trade descriptions, and evading Goods and Services Tax (GST) on their imports, according to Singapore Customs. The investigation began in February 2026, focusing on mattresses exported from Singapore to the US with false Singapore-origin labels.
The scheme reportedly ran from August 2024 to September 2025, involving products worth approximately S$1.9 million (US$1.5 million). This case emerged shortly after the Trump administration highlighted Singapore as one of numerous trading partners potentially abused to circumvent US tariffs on Chinese goods through illegal transshipment.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
