Local Man fined $17,000 in huge booze haul
By Malai FadleyRizal & Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - In what could be the biggest haul of alcoholic drinks this month, 22 officers from the Preventive Unit of the Royal Brunei Customs and Excise

Department seized nearly 700 bottles of whisky, wine and beer from a 24-year-old local who was nabbed in a car chase drama Sunday evening.

Yesterday, the 24-year-old Shaiful Ibrahim, an ex-security officer, was fined a whopping $17,000 for smuggling 288 bottles of Andy Player Special Whisky, 162 bottles of White Wine and 240 cans of Tiger beer into the country by the Chief Magistrate Dk Rostaina Pg Hj Duraman.

"I was desperate for money," Shaiful told the court. He said he agreed to transport the liquor from Sengkurong to Kg Junjungan for $200 offered by a Malaysian named Amok.

In the statement of facts admitted by the defendant, he drove back to Sengkurong soon after the car was loaded with liquor for another man to take the wheels from there.

Customs Preventive officers had earlier conducted an operation in the vicinity of Kg Junjungan Sunday night in relation to the said activity.

As soon as the suspected car was sighted, they followed the car and tried to stop it at Jln Bengkurong Masin but the suspect suddenly sped away into Jalan Mulaut.

Upon pursuit, the officers successfully halted the car but Shaiful ran away into some bushes nearby. He was later arrested with the help from some people around at the time of the incident.

Their eyes proved them right when they saw the car loaded with liquor in the back seat and under the bonnet.

Shaiful admitted that he has no valid driving licence and the car belonged to Amok. The Royal Customs and Excise department revealed that customs duty to be paid for the $4,284 worth of contraband was $2,821.

Shaiful is free on $18,000 court bail or 3 local sureties and has been given a two-month grace period by the Chief Magistrate yesterday.

The court forfeited the said car to the state and ordered the liquor seized by Customs Preventive officers.

The officers said they welcome tip-offs from members of the public pertaining to any smuggling activities of contraband goods to the country. They can be contacted through the department's Hotline at 2382422 or 8714422. -- Courtesy Of Borneo Bulletin

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