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On 26 March 2026, a 57-year-old Malaysian male, Diong Gin Ing ("Diong"), was convicted and sentenced to 10 months and 3 days' imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of possession of benefits from criminal conduct under Section 54(1)(c) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 ("CDSA") and one count of making an inaccurate declaration on cross-border movement of cash under Section 60(1) CDSA.

Following Diong’s conviction, the Court granted on 16 April 2026 the Prosecution’s application for an order under Section 364 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 for the entire sum of seized cash to be forfeited to the state.

Background

The case was detected during a Cross-Border Cash Reporting Regime multi-agency joint operation on 23 May 2025. Officers from the Specialised Fraud Investigation Branch ("SFIB") of the Commercial Affairs Department (“CAD”) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority ("ICA") detected Diong carrying S$398,775 and MYR1,621 in a bag in his car boot while entering Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint. Diong did not make an accurate declaration of the cash carried and he was unable to provide a satisfactory account of the source of funds that he was carrying. The cash was suspected to be unlawful proceeds and was subsequently seized for further investigations.

CAD’s investigations later revealed that the cash was commissions that Diong had earned from acting as a runner for illegal betting and unlicensed moneylending activities in Malaysia.

"Singapore takes a serious view of criminals attempting to move proceeds from unlawful activity through our jurisdiction,” said Ms Peggy Pao, Director of the Commercial Affairs Department. “This case exemplifies the effectiveness of our Cross-Border Cash Reporting Regime in detecting, intercepting and investigating the movements of such funds. The forfeiture of the entire sum of cash in this case demonstrates our commitment to deprive criminals of their ill-gotten gains. We will not tolerate any transnational criminal activities or money laundering in Singapore."

All travellers arriving and departing Singapore must make a report of the physical movement of any physical currency and bearer negotiable instruments ("CBNI") exceeding S$20,000 (or its equivalent foreign currency) into or out of Singapore. Failure to report or to accurately report the movement of CBNIs exceeding S$20,000 is an offence punishable under Section 60(2) of the CDSA. Offenders are liable to a fine of up to S$50,000 or to an imprisonment term of up to three years, or both. A confiscation order may also be issued for any part of the cash, in relation to which the offence was committed. More information on Cross Border Cash Movement Reporting can be found on SPF’s website (http://www.police.gov.sg/Advisories/Commercial-Crimes/Suspicious-Transaction-Reporting-Office).