SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday (April 28) that a man who was caught entering Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint with nearly S$400,000 in cash in his car has been sentenced to jail. The money has also been forfeited and forfeited to the state.
The man, a 57-year-old Malaysian male named Diong Gin Ing, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of benefits from criminal conduct and one count of making an inaccurate declaration on the cross-border movement of cash on March 26.
He was then convicted and sentenced to 10 months and 3 days’ imprisonment for offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992.
After he was convicted, an application from the Prosecution for an order for the entire sum of seized cash to be turned over to the State was granted by the Court on April 16.
The case involving Diong came to light during a Cross-Border Cash Reporting Regime multi-agency joint operation on May 23, 2025. Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Specialised Fraud Investigation Branch of the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) caught him with S$398,775 and RM1,621 (S$200,49) in a bag in the boot of his car as he was coming into Singapore using the Tuas Checkpoint.
SPF noted that he failed to make an accurate declaration of the cash carried and was unable to provide a satisfactory account of the source of funds that he was carrying.
It was then suspected that the money was from unlawful proceeds, and the authorities seized it as further investigations were carried out.
The investigations later showed that the money had been commissions paid to Diong as a runner for illegal betting and unlicensed moneylending activities in Malaysia.
“All travellers arriving and departing Singapore must make a report of the physical movement of any physical currency and bearer negotiable instruments (CBNI) exceeding S$20,000 (or its equivalent foreign currency) into or out of Singapore,” the Police said in its statement.
Failure to do so is a punishable offence, and individuals who are convicted face fines of up to S$50,000, a jail term of as much as three years, or both. Furthermore, a confiscation order may also be issued for any part of the cash in relation to the offence committed.
Peggy Pao, the Director of the CAD, underlined how seriously Singapore takes instances of criminals attempting to move proceeds from unlawful activity through its jurisdiction. /TISG
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