BY Fadley Faisal

The Magistrate’s Court on Monday ordered a trio of Bangladeshi men to settle fines for possessing smuggled cigarettes intended for sale at their staff quarters.

Ebrahim, 34, was ordered to settle a BND26,000 fine or serve 24 months’ jail in default of payment for possessing 24 cartons and eight packets of cigarettes as well as nine bottles of liquor.

Mohammad Shohel, 43, was ordered to settle a BND15,200 fine or serve 13 months’ jail in default for possession of 19 cartons of cigarettes while Shakim Uddin, 46, was ordered to settle a BND8,196 fine or serve eight months’ jail in default for possessing nine cartons and nine packets of cigarettes.

Magistrate Mohd Syafiq bin Haji Zakaria heard that Customs preventive officers arrested the defendants upon discovering the contraband at their quarters, along with BND2,012 derived from the illicit sales of cigarettes. The inspection was carried out at the Kampong Beribi staff quarters at 7.15pm on July 12.

The magistrate ordered for the cigarettes and liquor to be destroyed, and cash forfeited.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin