Bangladeshi linked to contraband cigarette syndicate jailed in Singapore

A Bangladeshi national was sentenced to 22 weeks in jail and three strokes of the cane by the Singaporean authorities on multiple criminal charges on 2 March.

The charges brought against Rahman Manzur, 36, include entering the city-state without a valid pass, abduction by common intention and conspiracy to riot, reports the CNA.

Rahman Manzur, who peddled contraband cigarettes to foreign workers, was earlier jailed by the Singaporean authorities and repatriated to Bangladesh back in 2021. 

However, he returned to Singapore illegally as he wanted to resume his business, paying a boatman to ferry him from Indonesia and swimming to shore after being dropped in the sea off Bedok.

He continued running his contraband cigarette syndicate and instructed his accomplices to abduct the leader of a rival business. They abducted the wrong man, and police investigations uncovered his involvement which eventually led to his arrest this time.

Contraband cigarettes are genuine products that have been bought in a low-tax country and which exceed legal border limits or are acquired without taxes for export purposes, to be then illegally re-sold in a market with higher prices.

Rahman Manzur was charged in court in March 2020 for offences under the Customs Act. He absconded and committed further offences while on the run.

He was re-arrested and in June 2021 sentenced to nine months and two weeks in jail for dealing with contraband cigarettes.

After Rahman completed his sentence – with backdating from the time he was remanded considered – he was repatriated to Bangladesh in July 2021.

A year after this, Rahman decided to return to Singapore to continue his contraband cigarette business that used Bangladeshi nationals to peddle illegal goods to foreign workers.

He knew that he could not enter Singapore because of his past conviction, so he booked air tickets to fly from Bangladesh to Malaysia and from there to Indonesia.

In Batam, he contacted an unidentified boatman, who agreed to ferry him to Singapore via speedboat for 1,500 Singapore dollars.

Rahman paid the fee and was ferried to Singapore waters sometime in July 2022. He disembarked in the sea off Bedok and swam to shore before changing his clothes and taking a taxi to Kranji. He resumed running his contraband business.

In September 2022, Rahman wanted to take over territory controlled by a rival syndicate so he could have exclusive sales there. He instructed his accomplices on 17 September last year to abduct the leader of the rival syndicate.

However, they could not find the target and instead abducted the rival leader's acquaintance, assaulting him.

The police received a call that same day informing them that a Bangladeshi national had been abducted.

Through their investigations, they identified Rahman and arrested him at a construction site in September last year.

For entering Singapore without a valid pass, he could have been jailed for up to six months and given at least three strokes of the cane.

If he had not been given the caning, he would have received a fine of up to 6,000 Singapore dollars.