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SINGAPORE: Nearly S$400,000 (US$313,000) seized from a Malaysian man has been forfeited to the state after investigations revealed that the cash constituted unlawful proceeds, police said on Monday (Apr 28).<\/span><\/p>\n Diong Gin Ing, 57, was convicted and sentenced to 10 months and 3 days\u2019 jail on Mar 26, 2026, after pleading guilty to one count of possession of benefits of criminal conduct and one count of making an inaccurate declaration on cross-border movement of cash.<\/span><\/p>\n Following his conviction, the court on Apr 16 granted the prosecution\u2019s application for the entire sum of seized cash to be forfeited to the state.<\/span><\/p>\n Diong was found with S$398,775 and RM1,621 in a bag in his car boot while entering Singapore through Tuas Checkpoint on May 23, 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n The case was detected during a cross-border cash reporting regime multi-agency joint operation, which involved the Specialised Fraud Investigation Branch of the police\u2019s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).<\/span><\/p>\n Diong did not make an accurate declaration of the money and was unable to provide a satisfactory account of its source<\/span><\/p>\n The cash was suspected to be unlawful proceeds and was subsequently seized for further investigations, police said.<\/span><\/p>\n CAD\u2019s investigations later revealed that the cash was commission Diong had earned as a runner for illegal betting and unlicensed moneylending activities in Malaysia.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSingapore takes a serious view of criminals attempting to move proceeds from unlawful activity through our jurisdiction,\u201d said CAD director Peggy Pao.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe forfeiture of the entire sum of cash in this case demonstrates our commitment to deprive criminals of their ill-gotten gains,\u201d she said, adding that Singapore will not tolerate any transnational criminals or money laundering.<\/span><\/p>\n All travellers arriving and departing Singapore must declare the physical movement of any physical currency and bearer negotiable instruments exceeding S$20,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency into or out of Singapore.<\/span><\/p>\n If convicted for failing to report or accurately report the movement of currency or bearer negotiable instruments exceeding S$20,000, offenders face a fine of up to S$50,000 or up to three years\u2019 jail or both.<\/span><\/p>\n