<\/p>\nagreed to smuggle multiple foreigners into Singapore<\/p>\n
<\/a> after he was promised payment of 1.5 million rupiah (S$115) per person. <\/p>\n
To date, the foreigners have not been identified and are still at large. Details about their nationalities were not disclosed in court documents.<\/p>\n
On Dec 17, tugboat crew member Febry Iswanto, 23, was sentenced to eight months\u2019 jail and three strokes of the cane over his role in the unlawful operation.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian, who received payment of only a million rupiah in the end, pleaded guilty to one count of helping three foreigners enter Singapore illegally. <\/p>\n
Another charge involving two foreigners was considered during his sentencing.<\/p>\n
The court heard that in March 2024, Febry started working on an Indonesia-registered tugboat that towed a barge.<\/p>\n
While working on the vessels, he got to know \u201cJefryansyah\u201d, who was sacked later that year due to poor performance. <\/p>\n
The pair kept in touch, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thaddeus Tan.<\/p>\n
On one occasion before Aug 31, Jefryansyah texted Febry, offering him 1.5 million rupiah for every person he helped to transport from Indonesia to Singapore via the vessels. <\/p>\n
Despite knowing that he would be committing an offence, Febry accepted the offer as he needed money to modify his motorcycle. <\/p>\n
In late August, the barge and tugboat were in Indonesian waters and on their way to Singapore when a small boat carrying two unknown people came towards them.<\/p>\n
The pair boarded the vessels and hid inside an anchor compartment.<\/p>\n
The vessels arrived at Singapore\u2019s Pulau Punggol Aggregate Terminal to unload granite on Aug 30.<\/p>\n
Shortly before 3am the next day, Febry told Jefryansyah to inform the pair what to do next.<\/p>\n
The DPP said: \u201cThe accused then turned off the floodlights on the vessels, went to the anchor compartment and called out the names of these two unknown persons who emerged from hiding. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe accused then (took) them to the stern of the vessels, told them to swim to mainland Singapore and… hide in a forested area.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two unknown persons did as they were told and made their way to mainland Singapore.<\/p>\n
However, Jefryansyah later told Febry that only one of them managed to reach a certain \u201csafe place\u201d.<\/p>\n
Febry subsequently received a payment of a million rupiah via a bank transfer.<\/p>\n
In October, Jefryansyah approached him again with a similar proposition.<\/p>\n
Three unknown people boarded the vessels while they were in Indonesian waters on Oct 25.<\/p>\n
Upon reaching Pulau Punggol Aggregate Terminal, Febry told the trio to swim to mainland Singapore, and they did as they were told.<\/p>\n
Court documents stated that he was not paid for his involvement in this second operation.<\/p>\n
Singapore\u2019s Police Coast Guard later received information that the crew of the vessels had abetted three unknown people in entering the country illegally. <\/p>\n
Febry was arrested on Nov 9, and he was charged in court two days later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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