On Friday, a Singapore court sentenced two Malaysian nationals of Indian descent to 10 months in prison for their attempt to smuggle a compatriot out of Singapore. Sharan Raj Loganathan, 26, and Ramesh Munusamy, 44, were found guilty of aiding Mohamad Izuwan Che Mohd Abd Khoha in illegally exiting the country via the Tuas checkpoint on July 19, as reported by The Straits Times.
Singapore is connected to Peninsular Malaysia via a causeway and a bridge at Tuas.
Court documents revealed that on July 17, Izuwan, 32, was apprehended while trying to bring over 11,900 e-cigarette pods and 8,657 e-cigarette devices into Singapore, resulting in the seizure of his passport. E-cigarettes are prohibited in Singapore, where smoking is banned in public areas.
On July 19, Izuwan attempted to return to Malaysia by hiding in the cargo compartment of Ramesh’s truck. Izuwan was later sentenced to seven months in prison for his offenses on August 28.
Under Singaporean law, those convicted of assisting others in leaving the country illegally face a minimum of six months in jail and fines up to SGD 6,000.
