SINGAPORE — Four Indonesian men who allegedly tried to enter Singapore illegally and were caught with duty-unpaid cigarettes were charged on Monday (May 2) in the State Courts.

The court heard that the four men, aged between 23 and 39, entered Singapore’s territorial waters on an unnumbered fibreglass speedboat in the early hours of Sunday.

Sakia Karim, 39, and Darwis, 23, are alleged to have committed the offence at about 12.06am, while Yudi Muhita, 34, is accused of entering Singapore’s waters at around 1.05am, and Kamal, 29, is said to have done so at around 1.35am. 

In a news release on Sunday, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said the Police Coast Guard had detected a speedboat in Singapore waters around midnight. The boat, heading towards the shoreline of Tanah Merah, was intercepted.

Four men were arrested, and the authorities recovered 532 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes on board.

PCG Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun, said: “The success of this joint operation between the SPF and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority reaffirms our strong resolve and determination in cracking down on any illegal activities in Singapore’s waters. 

“We take a very serious view of illegal smuggling activities and will act swiftly in bringing the offenders to justice.”

Separately, a 22-year-old man was arrested on Monday for unlawful entry into Singapore after he was caught swimming from Malaysia to Singapore in the early hours of the morning.

The Police Coast Guard first detected the man at 12.46am in the Straits of Johor, near the Lim Chu Kang area. 

Both land and sea resources were deployed to intercept him, and he was apprehended around 10 minutes later.