An Indonesian man will be charged on Thursday, February 27, with money laundering and neglecting to disclose cash flows into Singapore. According to a press release issued by the police on Wednesday, February 26, the 35-year-old is also accused of having ties to an illicit internet gambling advertisement operation.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers discovered the man at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on February 17 with US$20,000 (S$26,750). When he entered Singapore, he had neglected to declare the amount.
The police said, “Investigations by the Commercial Affairs Department revealed that the man was allegedly involved in an illegal online gambling advertisement operation based in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.”
He allegedly collaborated with others between 2022 and 2025 to produce and share ads for illicit gambling websites on social media platforms, mostly aimed at Indonesian victims.
The money that was found in the man’s possession was allegedly converted from approximately 326,000,000 rupiah that he had been paid for advertising services in Pekanbaru, Indonesia.
According to investigators, he had planned to send the funds to Cambodia in order to finance the illicit gambling advertising scheme.
Commercial Affairs Department director David Chew said, “Criminals will seek to avoid bank controls and oversight by moving their illicit proceeds by cash,” adding, “Having stopped and seized remote gambling proceeds flowing through our banking system, Singapore has now detected and interdicted illicit cash proceeds from an overseas crime syndicate.”
He went on to say that anyone trying to transfer illegal gains across Singapore’s borders will be caught and prosecuted, and that the country will not allow money laundering.
Additionally, he stated that this case demonstrates how Singapore’s cross-border cash reporting system identifies and stops suspected cash or bearer negotiable instrument transactions that could be connected to international criminal activity.
Possession of benefits from illicit activity has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both. While, failing to record the movement of more than S$20,000 in cash is punishable by up to S$50,000 in fines, up to three years in prison, or both.
In connection with the offense committed, a confiscation order may also be issued for any portion of the money.