M'sian man, 45, jailed 10 months for helping 2 men illegally depart S'pore in car boot for S$806

The middleman, 45, who helped arrange for two Malaysians to depart Singapore for Malaysia illegally in the boot of a car in July 2025, has pleaded guilty to an offence under the Immigration Act and was sentenced to 10 months' jail on Mar. 9.

Hired by an unknown person for RM2,500

Around July 2025, 45-year-old Malaysian Tan Chee Onn was contacted by an unknown individual, "boss", requesting his help to illegally transport two Malaysians into Singapore, according to court documents.

The two Malaysians, 30 and 32, have past convictions in Singapore and had their passports impounded.

However, the "boss" offered Tan RM2,500 (S$806) if he could get the two Malaysians back into the country, and Tan agreed.

Tan then arranged for 21-year-old Muhammad Izzul Islam bin Abdul Haqq, whom he got acquainted with through a man identified as Lee, to drive the two Malaysians into Singapore, offering him RM1,500 (S$483) as compensation.

Acted as intermediary to convey instructions

On Jul. 4, 2025, at about 9pm, the trio — Tan, Lee and Izzul — met up at a restaurant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The three then proceeded to a car rental company and rented a vehicle, which Tan paid for.

Tan also passed a phone to Izzul for communication purposes.

Izzul then left for Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint, with Tan remaining in Malaysia to coordinate communication between Izzul and "boss".

Once in Singapore, Izzul was given location instructions and met up with the two Malaysians at a heavy vehicle carpark in Woodlands.

The two Malaysians entered the boot of the car, and the group headed towards the Singapore-Malaysia border.

At about 3:45am on Jul. 5, 2025, the Malaysian-registered vehicle was profiled by officers from Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for further checks.

The three Malaysians were arrested on the spot and subsequently charged in court.

Arrested in January 2026

Tan was arrested on Jan. 13, 2026, at Tuas Checkpoint as he was entering Singapore and has been held in remand since.

Tan was handed two charges and pleaded guilty to one of them.

The second charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

"The ICA takes a firm stance against individuals attempting to enter or leave Singapore illegally, as well as for those who abet such actions," an ICA spokesperson commented on the case.

For any person convicted of abetting any person to leave Singapore in contravention of the provisions of the Immigration Act, they face a presumptive minimum of six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to S$6,000.

Top image via ICA