Key facts
- Three men and three companies have been charged in Singapore for allegedly misrepresenting the origin of mattresses.
- The scheme involved falsely declaring Chinese-made mattresses as Singaporean goods to evade US import duties.
- The alleged operation ran from August 2022 to June 2025, involving goods valued at over US$18 million.
- Singapore Customs stated that such conduct undermines trade documentation integrity and Singapore's reputation.
Three men and three companies have been charged in Singapore for their alleged roles in a scheme to falsely declare Chinese-made mattresses as Singaporean goods, aiming to circumvent US import duties.
Singaporeans Loh Yew Kong, 68; Leong Yu Fong, 41; and Loh Chen Sing Darren, 37, along with companies Brighture Et Riche, Brighture Et Riche (Int), and Zenova International, face charges related to the alleged fraudulent activity. Singapore Customs initiated investigations in February of the previous year following information that mattresses exported from Singapore to the US were being mislabeled.
The investigations revealed a scheme that purportedly operated between August 2022 and June 2025, involving goods valued at over S$23 million (US$18 million). At the time, Chinese-made mattresses imported into the US were subject to anti-dumping duties imposed in 2019. Singapore Customs emphasized the seriousness with which it views the falsification of trade declarations and misuse of Certificates of Origin, noting that such actions jeopardize the integrity of international trade documentation and Singapore's reputation as a reliable global trading hub.