6 men, aged 34 to 63, to be charged for alleged involvement in organised criminal group in S'pore

They will be charged in court on March 26.

Syahindah Ishak | March 25, 2021, 05:42 PM

Six men, aged between 34 and 63, will be charged for their suspected involvement in an organised criminal group (OCG) which was extensively engaged in gambling activities.

Will be charged in court on March 26

They are the fourth OCG identified for prosecution for various offences under the Organised Crime Act (OCA), which came into force in June 2016, the police said in a press release on March 25.

The six men were among 66 persons arrested in a police operation targeting criminal syndicates in October 2018.

They were first charged on Oct. 25, 2018 for offences under the Common Gaming Houses Act (CGHA).

All six men will be charged in court on March 26 for various offences under the OCA, CGHA and the Societies Act.

Two of the six men, aged 40 and 53, will also face additional charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.

Possible punishments

Under the OCA, it is an offence to be a member of an OCG.

Any person who is, or acts as, a member of a locally-linked OCG, can be fined up to S$100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.

It is also illegal to instruct another person to commit offences for an OCG, and the offender will face enhanced punishments prescribed for the offence they were instructed to commit.

Under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, any person who converts or transfers any benefits from criminal conduct or removes it from jurisdiction can be fined up to S$500,000, jailed for up to 10 years, or both.

Under the Societies Act, anyone found guilty of being a member of an unlawful society can be fined up to S$5,000, jailed for up to three years years, or both.

Top image via Unsplash.