20 men charged with possessing, transporting over 3,000 boxes of contraband cigarettes

Twenty men have been charged at the Magistrate's Court in Tawau with the offense of possessing and transporting 3,004 boxes of various brands of imported contraband cigarettes in the waters south of Pulau Sipadan, Semporna, last month.

Eighteen of the accused, aged between 21 and 62, pleaded not guilty. Two others did not enter a plea due to the absence of Burmese and Hindi interpreters. The charges were read before Magistrates Don Stiwin Malanjum and Dayang Aidaku Amira Aminuddin.

Thirteen Filipino citizens were charged with jointly intending to possess 1,956 boxes of Bosqu brand white cigarettes on a cargo boat. Meanwhile, seven men, comprising three Indonesians, two Indians, and one each from Malaysia and Myanmar, were accused of transporting 1,048 boxes of various brands of cigarettes that are also prohibited from importation.

Both offenses allegedly occurred approximately 6.9 and seven nautical miles south of Pulau Sipadan, Semporna, around 1:06 AM on June 23. If found guilty, they face a maximum fine of 20 times the value of the goods or a RM500,000 jail sentence, or both.

The court denied bail for the 13 defendants lacking valid identification. The other seven were granted bail of RM5,000 each with two local guarantors. They were also ordered to report to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) twice a month and surrender their passports to the investigating officer. The court set August 10 for the next mention.