Coast Guard, Gurkhas and Special Ops with dogs nab 4 Indonesians who entered S'pore illegally on small boat

Four Indonesian men were arrested by the police for unlawful entry into Singapore and possession of duty-unpaid cigarettes in a joint operation with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

The Police Coast Guard detected four entering Singapore unlawfully from the sea through a small craft on May 17 at 1.27am. They landed outside the fence line of Pulau Tekong.

Following the detection, officers from the Coast Guard, the Gurkha Contingent, the Special Operations Command and K-9 Unit responded and arrested the unarmed men who disembarked from the craft.

The men were detained outside the protected areas of Pulau Tekong. They were allegedly found without any travel documents and in possession of uncustomed goods.

A total of 2,700 packets of assorted duty-unpaid cigarettes and one fiber-glass craft, which was fitted with one outboard motor, were seized in the operation.

Commander of the Police Coast Guard, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Ang Eng Seng said: "Anyone who plays a part in such unlawful entry or departure from Singapore, such as ferrying the illegal immigrants to or from the place of arrival or departure, will face the full brunt of the law."

The four men will be charged in court on May 19 for the offence of unlawful entry, which carries an imprisonment term of up to six months and not less than three strokes of the cane.

Police Coast Guard and Singapore Customs are handling the investigations.