Ex-Certis officer linked to cigarette smuggling ops admits receiving over $1,500 in bribes
Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
April 14, 2026
Within around 3½ months, a Certis security officer deployed to Jurong Port facilitated 26 cigarette smuggling operations and received $1,572 in bribes.
On April 14, Muhammad Haaziq Karudin, 34, who is no longer working for the security company, pleaded guilty to one count each of graft and sharing confidential information about his work schedule with another person, an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
Haaziq was the fifth person linked to the case to be convicted in court. He will be sentenced on April 22.
Three other former Certis officers – Muhammad Khairul Amir Suhaimi, then 25; Sri Daniah Abdul Razak, then 26, and Mohamad Aziffi Selamat, then 32, were dealt with in court earlier.
In February, Muhammad Sukaimi Gasali, then 34, a crane operator at the time of the offences, was sentenced to four years and seven months’ jail, and a fine of $5,000.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamed Riasudeen told the court that the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) had earlier contracted Certis to supply security officers to Jurong Port and Tuas Checkpoint.
The officers’ tasks included taking enforcement action against people attempting to smuggle contraband items into Singapore.
They also had to conduct thorough checks on individuals and vehicles passing through the port and checkpoint.
Haaziq, who was working at Jurong Port, was conducting routine checks in late 2020 when he got to know Sukaimi, and the pair became friends.
Around early 2021, Haaziq sent his motorcycle for repairs and Sukaimi, who was then working for a company called GL Crane, helped him pay the bill.
Following this, Haaziq started borrowing money from him on multiple occasions.
Around July 2022, Sukaimi approached Haaziq to tell him that he intended to deal with contraband cigarettes. He told Haaziq to “close one eye” whenever he passed through Haaziq’s lane.
According to court documents, Haaziq later allowed Sukaimi to pass through his lane without conducting proper searches on his vehicle.
The DPP said: “After the first successful smuggling operation where the accused facilitated Sukaimi’s exit from the port with contraband cigarettes... Sukaimi rewarded the accused by transferring between $50 and $100 via PayNow.”
Using a messaging platform, Sukaimi also shared the PayNow transfer confirmation page with Haaziq, with an accompanying text stating: “Thanks for the help, duit Kopi (“coffee money” in Malay).”
Between Aug 10 and Nov 25, 2022, Haaziq received bribes totalling $1,572 from Sukaimi over 26 separate occasions.
The court heard that an integral component of the corrupt arrangement involved Haaziq providing Sukaimi with confidential information about his deployment schedule.
“Whenever Sukaimi approached the accused’s lane, the latter would conduct a superficial check on Sukaimi’s vehicle, allowing Sukaimi to pass through,” said DPP Riasudeen.
The offences came to light when Sukaimi’s Malaysian driver, identified as Mohd Hafiz Kamarulzaman, drove a car from his home country to Singapore at around 4.30am on April 19, 2024.
ICA officers stopped the vehicle at the Tuas Checkpoint for an inspection and uncovered 22 cartons as well as 470 packets of contraband cigarettes.
Investigations later revealed that Hafiz had been communicating with Daniah through WhatsApp on a few earlier occasions when he was entering Singapore with contraband cigarettes.
These conversations helped him determine “safer times” to enter Singapore.
Without revealing details, the DPP said that Haaziq was later arrested on July 15 that year.
The four former Certis officers and Sukaimi were charged in court in 2025.
Court documents did not disclose if Hafiz has been charged or dealt with in court.
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