C
Chun Li
Guest
Mar 30, 2011
Sungei Buloh human smugglers jailed, 1 caned
By Khushwant Singh
Jabil Yusof, 56, and Mohd Zaid Samsudin, 21, each was jailed for four years and eight months for offences relating to smuggling in five Chinese nationals on Jan 10.
TWO human smugglers, Jabil Yusof, 56, and Mohd Zaid Samsudin, 21, were arrested at Sungei Buloh in January this year, and on Wednesday, each was jailed for four years and eight months by a district court for offences relating to smuggling in five Chinese nationals on Jan 10.
The younger culprit, who is the boatman's assistant, was also ordered to be caned 12 times.
Jabil will serve an additional six months since he is to be spared caning, being more than 50 years old.
Their cargo - five women aged between 31 and 53 years, have been dealt with. All were prohibited immigrants who had previously committed immigration-related offences here.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Denis Tan had asked the court to impose a total jail sentence of at least four years.
He said such offences were prevalent and there exists 'public disquiet about the serious social and security problems' arising from the presence of illegal immigrants in the community.
Investigations revealed that early this year, a Malaysian, known only as Botak Ahmad and who operated a human smuggling business in Johor, approached the two men separately.
Jabil was a fisherman, earning about RM40 (S$16.70) a day while Mohd Zaid was a land surveyor with a daily salary of RM30.
They were each offered RM150 for every illegal immigrant they successfully smuggled in.
At 4.30am on Jan 10, they set out again from Lido beach in Johor with Jabil at the wheel of the unlit speedboat and unloaded its five 'passengers' at the Sungei Buloh shoreline.
The boat then tried to speed back to Malaysian waters but found its escape route blocked by a Police Coast Guard boat.
Jabil made a sharp U-turn, beached the craft and both men ran inland. By then, some 50 officers from the Jurong Police Division, Special Operations Command and the Gurkha Contingent had been deployed and all seven fugitives were ferreted out within five hours.
