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-- THE ARCHIVE --

SINGAPORE

Straits Times, Singapore, 16 November 2004

Family snakehead syndicate smashed

More leaders of JB's main human smuggling op jailed in Singapore

By Ben Nadarajan

A FAMILY-RUN syndicate in Johor Baru that
smuggled people from Malaysia into Singapore has
been smashed after another two of its leaders
were caught and extradited to Singapore.

A POOR DEAL: For about
$1,000, a customer would be put up in a
cheap hotel or lodging house for a few
days and then given a tyre and told to
swim to Singapore. Those who refused were
ruthlessly shoved into the sea.

They were caught in the middle of last month,
less than six months after their boss was
arrested by Malaysian police in May and handed to
the Singapore police.

Tay Sau Soon, 33, and Tay Hock Ann, 25, were
trying to revive the business left behind by Tay
Boon Hua,45, who was convicted in June.

At least 10 immigrants, caught trying to sneak
into Singapore by sea, identified the duo as the
new masterminds behind JB's largest human
smuggling syndicate.

The men were each jailed for a year and
ordered to be caned six times.

Police Coast Guard investigating officer,
Senior Staff Sergeant June Lim, said: 'For
family-run syndicates, it isn't enough just to
catch the big boss, because the other family
members would try to resurrect the business.'

THE SYNDICATE LEADERS

Tay
Boon Hua (left), 45, the syndicate's
mastermind, who once controlled 80 per
cent of the market. Tay Sau Soon
(centre), 33, Boon Hua's younger brother
and a compulsive gambler who made big
bets. Tay Hock Ann (right), 25, Boon
Hua's son, and as unscrupulous and
ruthless as his father

Boon Hua, better known among his customers as
Ah Chai, is Hock Ann's father and Sau Soon's
eldest brother.

He