18 men arrested over illegal sale of marine gas oil in waters off West Coast

Eighteen men, aged between 21 and 35, were arrested on Wednesday (Feb 11) morning for their alleged involvement in the illegal transaction of marine gas oil in Singapore waters. 

In a news release on Wednesday, the police said that Police Coast Guard officers arrested the 18 crew members from two foreign-registered tugboats and one Singapore-registered tugboat in the waters off Pandan at West Coast. 

Preliminary investigations revealed that the crew members had allegedly misappropriated marine gas oil valued at about $13,670 without their company's knowledge. 

According to the police, the oil was allegedly intended to be sold illegally for their personal financial gain. 

The 18 men will be charged in court on Thursday for criminal breach of trust by employees. 

If found guilty, they may be jailed for up to 15 years and fined. 

The police also warned that they take a serious view of illegal transactions of marine gas oil in Singapore waters, adding that the authorities will continue to conduct enforcement and security checks to prevent, deter and detect such illicit activities. 

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editor@asiaone.com