A 31-year-old local man was fined BND20,000 by the Magistrate’s Court on Saturday, after pleading guilty to charges involving possession of smuggled cigarettes and vape pods.
Muhammad Noor Azim bin Samrey would have to serve 20 months’ imprisonment in default of payment.
The charges were brought against the defendant under Section 146(1)(d) of the Excise Order, 2006. The contraband, which included 47 packets of various cigarette brands and three vape pods, was confiscated during an enforcement operation conducted by the Royal Customs and Excise Department’s Law Enforcement Division, Kuala Belait branch, on February 8, 2023.
The operation led to discoveries at two locations: a parking lot at Jubli Perak Kuala Belait and a house in the RPN Kampong Panaga Seria area.
Magistrate Abdul ‘Azim bin Othman ordered the seized items to be forfeited to the government for destruction. – Fadley Faisal
