BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

A MAN was sentenced to a $43,000 fine yesterday after he admitted to attempting to smuggle untaxed cigarettes into the country by concealing the contrabands inside door panels of his car.

Defendant Sofian Mokti, 39, was found in possession of 72 cartons and 460 packets of cigarettes following an inspection on the defendant’s car while at the Kuala Lurah Control Post on May 8.

The court document states that the cigarettes were concealed in all four door panels of the car, inside both rear compartments and inside the spare tyre compartment.

Following investigations, Sofian admitted that the cigarettes belonged to him and that he had bought them from Limbang.

He had intended to sell the cigarettes and knew that bringing in the cigarettes without a permit is in contravention with customs regulation. The excise duty to be paid for the cigarettes was $5,440.

During yesterday’s proceedings , the court ordered the defendant to pay the fines within the nine-month grace period or serve 14 months in jail for in-default of payment.

The court further ordered for all of the seized goods – as well as the defendant’s car, a Nissan Livina – to be forfeited to the state.

The Brunei Times