A 39-year-old Malaysian man was ordered to settle a BND168,736 fine by the Magistrate’s Court on Saturday for possessing 220 cartons of cigarettes of various brands as well as several brands of alcoholic beverages.
The defendant, Sakai Bian, would have to serve 30 months’ imprisonment in default of payment of the fine.
According to the facts revealed by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Fitri binti Kiprawi, the contraband was discovered by the Royal Customs and Excise Department (RCED) on November 23 when the defendant’s vehicle was stopped for inspection at the Sungai Tujoh Control Post in Belait District.
The defendant admitted to hiding the contraband inside and under the vehicle.
Magistrate Nursariy Shahmina binti Jaffri further ordered for the items seized by the RCED to be forfeited to the state to be destroyed. – Fadley Faisal
