Two men charged with smuggling contraband cigarettes

 

Ship captain Myint Aung (left), a Myanmar national, and Singaporean Seah Tien Lye pleaded not guilty after the charge was read in English in front of Magistrate Nur Azzuin Abdul Moati. - STR/NUR AISYAH MAZALAN

PONTIAN: A cargo ship captain and crew member were charged at the Magistrate's court here with smuggling contraband cigarettes worth over RM47 million.

Ship captain Myint Aung, a Myanmar national, and Singaporean Seah Tien Lye pleaded not guilty after the charge was read in English in front of Magistrate Nur Azzuin Abdul Moati.

However, nine other crew members who were arrested on the ship, all Myanmar nationals, could not be charged as they do not understand English.

Myint, 55, and Seah, 48, were accused of importing 7,000 crates of contraband cigarettes worth about RM47.1 million on board a ship MV Chita.

They were accused of committing the offence about three nautical miles southwest of Pulau Kukup here at 8.15 pm on March 8.

They were charged under Section 135(1)(a) of the Custom Act 1967 which is read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 135 (1)(iii)(aa) of the Customs Act.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dewi Jasmine Ahmad appeared for the prosecution while the accused were represented by counsels Mohd Hamizi Mohd Yusof and Ahmad Khairuddin Khalid.

The accused's counsel earlier asked for a low bail.

"The case not only involved foreign nationals but I also ask the court to consider the fact that they have been stranded at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas since early March without any supervision since all the crew members were arrested," he said.

Nur Azzuin then set bail at RM20,000 each with two local sureties. She also ordered both the accused to surrender their passports to the court and to report to the nearest police station every Monday until the day of the trial.

She fixed April 21 for the mention of the case and for the other nine suspects to be charged.

On March 10, it was reported that the Marine Operations Force detained the ship, which is based in Myanmar and registered in Mongolia, and seized 7,000 crates of contraband cigarettes.

Federal Department of Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Abd Rahim Jaafar said the seizure is the largest in history. - NST