SINGAPORE \u2013 Through a passenger, a Malaysian private-hire driver learnt of a job which could earn him up to RM10,000 (S$3,200) a month.<\/p>\n
But it involved transporting disposable vaporisers from his home country to Singapore.<\/p>\n
Despite this, Suntharathasan Kanathasan accepted the offer and managed to earn RM2,000 from smuggling the vape-related devices on two occasions.<\/p>\n
The third time he tried to do so, he was caught.<\/p>\n
In January, officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) checked the boot of his vehicle and found 1,100 disposable vaporisers, worth more than $23,000 in total.<\/p>\n
On April 22, Suntharathasan, 31, was sentenced to 14 weeks\u2019 jail after he pleaded guilty to importing the illicit goods.<\/p>\n
Health Sciences Authority prosecutor Debra Ann Tan told the court that around mid-January, Suntharathasan picked up a passenger who introduced him to one \u201cDavid Roy\u201d on Facebook.<\/p>\n
Suntharathasan learnt about the job after chatting with this person, and was told he could earn RM1,000 a trip. He accepted the job.<\/p>\n
Ms Tan said: \u201cThe arrangement was for the accused to park his vehicle at a Shell petrol station at Mutiara Rini in Johor… at 8pm. The accused would hand over the keys to the cashier at the petrol station.<\/p>\n
\u201cThereafter, the accused was instructed to return at 3.30am the following day to collect the vehicle, which would have been loaded with the goods.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the plan, Suntharathasan was told to enter Woodlands Checkpoint before 6.30am, as this was a \u201cbusy time\u201d for the authorities.<\/p>\n
Once he was in Singapore, he was to drive to a carpark in Woodlands and leave the vehicle there for an unknown person to retrieve the disposable vaporisers.<\/p>\n
After the illicit items were unloaded, \u201cDavid Roy\u201d would send Suntharathasan a text message to tell him that the job was completed. Suntharathasan would then drive back to Malaysia to receive his payment. <\/p>\n
Around 5.20am on Jan 27, Suntharathasan drove from Malaysia to the Woodlands Checkpoint and was caught after ICA officers inspected his vehicle. He was charged in a Singapore district court soon after.<\/p>\n