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S$400,000 in seized cash confiscated from money courier who didn't declare S$3m when entering Singapore on 2 trips

SINGAPORE — A money courier who tried to carry about S$3 million into Singapore on two trips without declaring the full sum has been ordered to forfeit S$400,000. 

Anyone who moves more than S$20,000 into or out of Singapore when entering or leaving the country has to submit a declaration.
Anyone who moves more than S$20,000 into or out of Singapore when entering or leaving the country has to submit a declaration.
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  • A court has ordered S$400,000 to be confiscated from Bryan Woo Kah Hou, 26
  • A money courier, he tried to carry about S$3 million into Singapore on two trips without declaring the full sum
  • The confiscated amount was taken from nearly S$2 million in cash seized on Woo's second trip in June 2023
  • Woo was earlier fined S$30,000 after pleading guilty to two charges of moving cash in and out of Singapore without an accurate declaration

SINGAPORE — A money courier who tried to carry about S$3 million into Singapore on two trips without declaring the full sum has been ordered to forfeit S$400,000. 

The amount was confiscated from nearly S$2 million in cash seized last June from Bryan Woo Kah Hou on his second trip, the police said in a statement on Friday (Feb 2).

Woo, 26, was fined S$30,000 last November after pleading guilty to two charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes Act, for moving cash in and out of Singapore without an accurate declaration.

The police said on Friday that the prosecution applied for a confiscation order on Thursday to confiscate S$400,000 from the seized cash, to which the court agreed.

Woo worked for a money-changing company in Sarawak, Malaysia. It provides a service that couriers currencies to Singapore.

As part of this service, Woo would collect money in both Brunei dollars and Singapore dollars from customers in Brunei and courier it to Singapore to exchange them to Malaysia ringgit.

On June 20 last year, Woo arrived on a flight from Brunei to Singapore with a declaration form stating that he was carrying B$468,000 and S$37,500, but was really carrying B$1,953,818 and S$25,235, which amounted to S$1,979,053. 

The cash was seized as part of investigations.

Investigations then revealed that Woo had previously submitted a false declaration on arrival in Singapore on June 16 last year, where he inaccurately declared that he was carrying cash of B$428,000 and S$30,000, despite knowing that he was carrying about one million in both Bruneian and Singapore currencies.

He was allowed to pass the immigration checkpoint on this first trip.

Anyone who moves more than S$20,000 into or out of Singapore when entering or leaving the country has to submit a declaration. Those who fail to so do may face a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to S$50,000, or both.

Mr David Chew, director of the police's Commercial Affairs Department, said that this requirement is "one of Singapore’s measures to curb money laundering, terrorist financing and other criminal activities".

"All travellers should do their part, including money service businesses be it regulated in Singapore or elsewhere, by making full and accurate cash movement declarations," he added.

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