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The Police have arrested eight men, aged between 23 and 42, for their suspected involvement in abetting persons to enter Singapore unlawfully. 

On 9 November 2025, officers from the Police Coast Guard conducted an operation at Pulau Punggol Aggregate Terminal (PPAT) and arrested eight foreign crew members onboard a foreign-registered tugboat for their alleged involvement in abetting persons to enter Singapore unlawfully.

Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the crew members, a 23-year-old Indonesian man, was believed to have aided the unauthorised persons to enter Singapore illegally on 26 October 2025. The unauthorised persons had hidden onboard the tugboat’s barge when it was being towed into Singapore. The foreign-registered tugboat and barge were seized as case exhibits. 

The 23-year-old man will be charged in court with the offence of abetting any person to enter Singapore unlawfully under Section 57(1)(aa) of the Immigration Act 1959 on 11 November 2025. If convicted, he will be punished with an imprisonment term for a presumptive minimum term of not less than six months and not more than two years, and may also liable for not less than three strokes of caning. Investigations into the other seven crew members are ongoing.

The Police take a serious view of such illicit activities. The authorities will continue to conduct enforcement and security checks to prevent, deter and detect such illicit activities in Singapore waters.

Photo of the seized foreign-registered tugboat



Photo of the seized barge