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Man Caught Red-Handed With Biggest Haul Of Booze In Raid
By Lyna Mohamad & M K Anwar

Bandar Seri Begawan - An illicit booze vendor who was convicted hardly a month ago for an alcohol offence was once again apprehended on Thursday committing a similar offence.

And, this time around, the man was not only caught red-handed, but caught with the biggest haul of illicit booze for the year.

Call it bad luck or just plain optimism; this local Chinese man just couldn't resist temptation for breaking the law.

He gambled on handling an even bigger haul of alcohol without getting caught when Preventive Intelligence officers foiled his operation by nabbing him on the spot.

He now faces charges for the very same offence before he had even paid the fine for the previous conviction.

During a raid carried out by 11 Preventive and Intelligence law enforcers led by Senior Superintendent of Customs, who is the Head of the Preventive and Intelligence Division, the man who is believed to be assisted by his wife, was caught in the act of selling alcohol to a customer.

Prior to raiding his rented house in Kiulap, the vigilant enforcement officers had been monitoring his activities around 7pm.

After getting a tip that `business' was being carried out, the raiding party headed to the house and caught the offender red handed.

According to the Senior Superintendent, the

man was first caught selling alcohol sometime early this month at the same place.

He was prosecuted in court the following day and was fined $4,500 and was given six weeks to settle the fine. After his prosecution, the Preventive and Intelligence team continued to monitor his house and learnt that he was still committing offences.

After monitoring his activities, the Customs officers raided his house for the second time in less than a month.

Surprisingly, this time around, the law enforcers found an even larger quantity of alcohol, making it also the biggest haul so far this year.

The Preventive and Intelligence team made a thorough search of his house and its compound leading to more alcohol hidden behind the house and trees as well as in an unused washing machine.

He was believed to have been carrying out his activities in a dark storeroom where his customers would collect the alcohol through the window. The dark surroundings of his house have also helped him conceal his activities.

Altogether, the raiding party found 61 bottles of various branded liquor, 33 cans of Tiger Beer and 35 bottles of Guinness Stout.

The liquor and beer are sold at $22 per bottle or for 12 cans of Tiger Beer while five bottles of Guinness Stout would cost $20. It was also believed that the alcohol was supplied to him by smugglers who brought it into the country through a mouse trail along the Brunei border.

Both the offender and the buyer, also a local man, were taken down to the Preventive and Intelligence office for further questioning. The offender and his Permanent Resident wife are expected to be prosecuted in court today.

The officers of the Preventive and Intelligence Division advised the public who purchased and declared alcohol on the customs declaration form should use it for their own consumption and not hand over to other people as it would be considered a violation of the Customs Act.

Expressing their appreciation to members of the public who reported such illegal activities, the Preventive and Intelligence Division said they also hoped that this cooperation will continue to help them curb and apprehend such violators.

The public can report such activities by calling the division's hotline numbers on 2382422 or 8714422. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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