Jail for man who tried to help childhood friend escape Singapore
Andrew Wong for The Straits Times
A man who took pity on his childhood friend, who was under investigation for smuggling vapes into Singapore, decided to help him abscond home to Malaysia by hiding him in his lorry in June.
But both men were caught by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) during an inspection at Tuas Checkpoint.
On Aug 18, Ahmad Naqib Adenauer, 34, was sentenced to six months' jail after pleading guilty to one charge of abetting a person in leaving Singapore.
The court heard that Naqib, a Malaysian national, drove a lorry into Singapore on June 12. The purpose of his entry was not stated.
While in Singapore, he was contacted by his childhood friend Mohammad Fakaruddin Mohd Rosli, 31, and he agreed to meet him in Geylang.
When the pair met, Fakaruddin told Naqib that he was under investigation by the Health Sciences Authority and he was unable to leave the country as his passport had been impounded.
He then pleaded with Naqib for help, claiming that he was homesick and wanted to return to Malaysia.
The prosecution said that while Naqib initially refused, he later took pity on Fakaruddin and relented.
On the same day, he asked Fakaruddin to hide in the cargo compartment of his lorry before heading towards Tuas Checkpoint to return to Malaysia.
But their plan was foiled by ICA officers at the border checkpoint - after their vehicle was called out for inspection.
The prosecution noted that Naqib did not plan to help Fakaruddin in exchange for any personal financial gain, but had rather taken pity on his long-time friend.
Fakaruddin faces two charges of importing tobacco products into Singapore, among which were 8,400 pieces of vape pods, 4,430 pieces of disposable vapes, 350 boxes of vape devices and 1,150 vape cartridges.
He also faces one charge of failing to produce his passport at the checkpoint when he was arrested along with Naqib.
He will return to court on Sept 11.
