By Fadley Faisal
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, NOV 29 – A 49-year-old local man was fined $5,000 by the Magistrate’s Court, yesterday, after pleading guilty to possessing contraband cigarettes.
Mohamad Yusdi Sofiedon bin Mohamad Yusof admitted committing the offense in front of Acting Senior Magistrate, Dewi Norlelawati binti Haji Abdul Hamid.
If he fails to pay the fine, the defendant risks imprisonment for five months.
The prosecution revealed that customs enforcement officers from the Belait branch, acting on intelligence information, had conducted an inspection at the Panaga Small Power Station security post on September 5, 2023.
The raid found four boxes and 18 cigarettes of various brands that could not be proven with any valid documentation by the accused.
The court ordered that the seized cigarettes be destroyed.
