In need of cash to repay his debts, a Malaysian man who did not have a valid driving licence agreed to illegally transport two of his countrymen back home from Singapore in the boot of a car in July.
On Oct 2, Muhammad Izzul Islam Abdul Haqq, 20, was sentenced to 10 months and four weeks’ jail, and a fine of $800.
He had pleaded guilty to immigration and traffic offences, and will have to spend an additional day behind bars should he fail to pay the fine.
Izzul was also prohibited from driving any motor vehicle in Singapore for a period of two years from his release date.
The two stowaways – Muhammad Asyraff Mohamad Zaini, 30, and Muhammad Idzun Shafie Maula Abdul Razak, 31 – were dealt with in court earlier. Details about the pair’s offences were not disclosed in court documents.
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) prosecutor Aricia Tan and Deputy Public Prosecutor Leong Kit Yu stated in court documents that about a year ago, Izzul responded to a Facebook job advertisement by a user known only as “K”.
The job advertisement was for recruiting individuals to facilitate the illegal transportation of people from Singapore to Malaysia, the court heard.
Izzul joined the operation, and was promised RM500 (S$150) for every person successfully transported to Malaysia.
On July 4, 2025, K contacted him about a job to illegally transport Asyraff and Idzun out of Singapore.
At around 9pm that day, K turned up at Izzul’s Malaysian home unannounced and took him to a vehicle rental company in Johor to collect a car.
The prosecutors said: “Although the accused did not have a valid driving licence, K completed the rental arrangements and payments.
“The accused was instructed to drive the car to enter Singapore and that the coordinates of the pick-up location would be shared with him after he entered Singapore.”
Izzul did as he was told, and K later sent him a message via WhatsApp, asking him to go to a heavy vehicle carpark in Woodlands.
When he got there, an unknown man approached Izzul and told Idzun and Asyraff to hide in the boot of the car.
Izzul then drove the vehicle to the Woodlands Checkpoint shortly before 4am on July 5 and the authorities found the two stowaways following a check.
ICA officers immediately arrested the three Malaysian men and the car was seized.
Shaffiq Alkhatib for The Straits Times
Jail for unlicensed driver who tried to smuggle two men to Malaysia in car boot
