Latest news with #DrugTraffickingandOtherSeriousCrimes(ConfiscationofBenefits)Act
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Sheng Siong suspended PayNow withdrawals from teller machines over money laundering concerns
The scheme was discovered after Sheng Siong noticed large cash withdrawals being made simultaneously from multiple $TMs across Singapore by the same PayNow account. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS SINGAPORE - A new money laundering scheme caused Sheng Siong to temporarily suspend PayNow cash withdrawals from its Simple Teller Machines ($TMs) recently . The withdrawal service allows users to scan a PayNow QR code at the machines to withdraw cash of up to $1,000 per transaction. But since early June, criminals appear to have been abusing the service to launder illicit funds, causing the supermarket chain to temporarily suspend the service from June 19. It was only restored on June 23. The scheme was discovered after Sheng Siong noticed large cash withdrawals being made simultaneously from multiple $TMs across Singapore by the same PayNow account on June 18. When the same account was used to withdraw more cash on June 19, Sheng Siong staff detained the persons who had taken the cash and called the police. Four males, aged 16 to 23, were charged on June 21 in relation to the scheme. They are believed to have responded to 'fast cash job' advertisements on Telegram. The supposed job required them to go to the $TMs and use it to generate PayNow QR codes, which they took photos of and sent back to the Telegram group. Shortly after, the machine would dispense the cash, which they were to take and hand over to another person. It is believed criminals in the Telegram group were using compromised bank accounts to make the PayNow payments remotely via the photos of the QR codes. On June 26, the police took two of the accused persons back to $TMs in Sengkang and Tampines. Muhammad Noraidilsahiq Muhammad Norasif, 20, allegedly withdrew $8,000 from the machine on June 19 at the Sheng Siong outlet at Sengkang West Avenue, which he was taken back to for investigations. Muhammad Noraidilsahiq Muhammad Norasif allegedly withdrew $8,000 from the machine on June 19 at the Sheng Siong outlet at Sengkang West Avenue. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS He faces one charge under the Penal Code for receiving the stolen property. Muhammad Izz Iryan Mod Ali, 23, was allegedly found with $20,300 that were benefits of criminal conduct. He was taken to the $TM at the Sheng Siong outlet at Tampines Street 86 and faces one charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Muhammad Izz Iryan Mod Ali was allegedly found with $20,300 that were benefits of criminal conduct. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS His 18-year-old brother, Muhammad Izz Irshad Mod Ali, is also one of the accused persons. He allegedly took $4,000 of cash from the $TM at the Sheng Siong outlet at Jurong West Street 42 between June 9 and June 13. He faces one charge under the Penal Code for receiving the stolen property. The fourth person charged is a 16-year-old who allegedly took $19,500 from the $TM at the Sheng Siong outlet at Serangoon North Avenue 5 on June 18 and 19. He also faces one charge under the Penal Code for receiving the stolen property. All four have been remanded and their cases are expected to be heard again on June 27. Sheng Siong's customer and operations director, Mr Lin Zikai, told the media on June 26 that Sheng Siong had noticed the abnormal withdrawals on June 18 and suspended the service on June 19. The service was only restored on June 23 after it implemented an additional safeguard limiting the maximum number of transactions per PayNow account to five. There are more than 60 $TMs islandwide at Sheng Siong outlets. The withdrawal service allows users to scan a PayNow QR code at the machines to withdraw cash of up to $1,000 per transaction. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS Mr Lin said before this, users could make cash withdrawals of up to $1,000 per transaction, but the number of transactions was limited only by the PayNow account's limit. While the default daily limit for PayNow transactions is $1,000, users were able to change it to a maximum of $200,000. This meant they could make up to 200 transactions of $1,000 each daily . With the new safeguard, the maximum withdrawal from a single PayNow account is now capped at $5,000. Mr Lin said: 'This case was actually detected by our Sheng Siong HQ office. They realised there were multiple transactions from the same (PayNow) user at different outlets at the same time. 'That's when we contacted the bank and made a police report.' Those convicted of receiving stolen property can be jailed for up to five years and fined. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
19-06-2025
- Straits Times
Jail for woman who helped sister to obtain bank accounts, ATM cards for use in scams
Despite suspecting that the accounts would likely be used for illicit activities from the onset, Nguyen Lan Dung agreed to the arrangement. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG Jail for woman who helped sister to obtain bank accounts, ATM cards for use in scams SINGAPORE – Lured by the promise of money, a woman decided to take up her sister's offer to obtain bank accounts and cards in exchange for payment. Despite suspecting that the accounts would likely be used for illicit activities from the onset, Nguyen Lan Dung, 24, agreed to the arrangement. On June 19, the Vietnamese national was sentenced to 10 months' jail after pleading guilty to three charges under the Computer Misuse Act, and one under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Eleven charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration during the sentencing. Dung was also fined $1,700. Investigations revealed that after Dung agreed to the arrangement, she reached out to a man to say she knew people who would pay him for control of his bank account. Court documents do not reveal how investigations into Dung and her sister started. Sometime in March 2024, the man agreed and gave up his bank details and the corresponding physical ATM card. Dung handed over the card and login details to her sister and her sister's boyfriend, and was paid $700. Court documents stated that the man's bank account and ATM card were later found to be linked to extortion scams, and were used to transact a flow of scam proceeds. Under the arrangement, Dung would also act as the point of contact for other Vietnamese nationals who were willing to sell their bank accounts. She would earn between $500 and $700 for each bank account she helped to procure. Sometime in March 2024, she managed to obtain two different bank accounts from two Vietnamese nationals. Court documents do not reveal how Dung had managed to contact the two. Around the same period, Dung, along with her sister and her sister's boyfriend, arranged to sell 11 bank accounts to unknown persons. Dung's sister, Nguyen Huong Giang, remains on the run from Singapore. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Singapore Law Watch
12-06-2025
- Singapore Law Watch
Drug trafficker, 58, avoids death penalty by 0.01g, sentenced to 31 years' jail
Drug trafficker, 58, avoids death penalty by 0.01g, sentenced to 31 years' jail Source: Straits Times Article Date: 12 Jun 2025 Author: David Sun Mesnawi Dahri was caught while in possession of not less than 14.99g of diamorphine, or 'pure heroin', for the purpose of trafficking. A 58-year-old man has been sentenced to 31 years' jail over drug trafficking offences that saw him avoid the death penalty by 0.01g. Mesnawi Dahri was caught while in possession of not less than 14.99g of diamorphine, or 'pure heroin', for the purpose of trafficking. He was originally charged with possessing at least 15g of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking, according to court documents. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) state on its website that 15g of pure heroin is equivalent to 1,250 straws, which is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 180 abusers for a week. The death penalty is mandatory for anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 15g of diamorphine or 250g of methamphetamine or more than 500g of cannabis. The charge was later reclassified and changed to him possessing not less than 14.99g of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking, with a maximum sentence of 30 years' jail or life imprisonment, court documents showed. Mesnawi pleaded guilty to a total of four charges on June 3. Three were for drug offences and the fourth was for money laundering. Two other drug charges were taken into account for sentencing. He was sentenced to 31 years' jail, which includes 10 weeks for the money laundering charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. CNB officers arrested Mesnawi in Ang Mo Kio on Jan 27, 2023. About 713g of heroin and four Ecstasy tablets were seized from him. He also had $18,050 in cash, which were his benefits from his drug trafficking activities. The money has been forfeited to the state. In a statement on June 11, CNB said the Government will continue to review and enhance laws to ensure they remain effective in addressing the evolving crime landscape, and are aligned with international standards. Those who launder the benefits of drug dealing can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000. Mesnawi, who was unrepresented, has filed an appeal against his sentence. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
The Star
11-06-2025
- The Star
Drug trafficker in Singapore avoids death penalty by 0.01g, sentenced to 31 years' jail
Mesnawi Dahri was caught while in possession of not less than 14.99g of diamorphine, or 'pure heroin', for the purpose of trafficking. - Photo: ST SINGAPORE: A 58-year-old man has been sentenced to 31 years' jail over drug trafficking offences that saw him avoid the death penalty by 0.01g. Mesnawi Dahri was caught while in possession of not less than 14.99g of diamorphine, or 'pure heroin', for the purpose of trafficking. He was originally charged with possessing at least 15g of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking, according to court documents. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) state on its website that 15g of pure heroin is equivalent to 1,250 straws, which is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 180 abusers for a week. The death penalty is mandatory for anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 15g of diamorphine or 250g of methamphetamine or more than 500g of cannabis. The charge was later reclassified and changed to him possessing not less than 14.99g of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking, with a maximum sentence of 30 years' jail, court documents showed. Mesnawi pleaded guilty to a total of four charges on June 3. Three were for drug offences and the fourth was for money laundering. Two other drug charges were taken into account for sentencing. He was sentenced to 31 years' jail, which includes 10 weeks for the money laundering charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. CNB officers arrested Mesnawi in Ang Mo Kio on Jan 27, 2023. About 713g of heroin and four Ecstasy tablets were seized from him. He also had S$18,050 in cash, which were his benefits from his drug trafficking activities. The money has been forfeited to the state. In a statement on June 11, CNB said the Government will continue to review and enhance laws to ensure they remain effective in addressing the evolving crime landscape, and are aligned with international standards. Those who launder the benefits of drug dealing can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000. Mesnawi, who was unrepresented, has filed an appeal against his sentence. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
11-06-2025
- Straits Times
Drug trafficker, 58, avoids death penalty by 0.01g; sentenced to 31 years' jail
Mesnawi Dahri was caught while in possession of not less than 14.99g of diamorphine, or 'pure heroin', for the purpose of trafficking. PHOTO: ST FILE SINGAPORE - A 58-year-old man has been sentenced to 31 years' jail over drug trafficking offences which saw him avoid the death penalty by 0.01g. Mesnawi Dahri was caught while in possession of not less than 14.99g of diamorphine, or 'pure heroin', for the purpose of trafficking. He was originally charged with possessing at least 15g of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking, according to court documents. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on its website state that 15g of pure heroin is equivalent to 1,250 straws, which is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 180 abusers for a week. The death penalty is mandatory for anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 15g of diamorphine or 250g of methamphetamine or more than 500g of cannabis. The charge was later reclassified and changed to him possessing not less than 14.99g of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking, with a maximum sentence of 30 years' jail, court documents showed. Mesnawi pleaded guilty to a total of four charges on June 3. Three were for drug offences and the fourth was for money laundering. Two other drug charges were taken into account for sentencing. He was sentenced to 31 years' jail, which includes 10 weeks for the money laundering charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. CNB officers arrested Mesnawi in Ang Mo Kio on Jan 27, 2023, where about 713g of heroin and four Ecstasy tablets were seized from him. He also had $18,050 in cash, which were his benefits from his drug trafficking activities. The money has been forfeited to the state. In a release on June 11, CNB said the Government will continue to review and enhance laws to ensure that they remain effective in addressing the evolving crime landscape, and are aligned with international standards. Those who launder the benefits of drug dealing can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000. Meswani, who is unrepresented, has filed an appeal against his sentence. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
