Sarawak Customs seizes almost RM12mil worth of contraband cigarettes
KUCHING: The Sarawak Customs Department has seized contraband cigarettes worth an estimated RM11.88mil, including unpaid duties and taxes, from a warehouse here.
Sabah Customs director Norizan Yahya said enforcement officers, acting on intelligence from headquarters, raided the premises at Demak Laut Industrial Park at about 4pm on July 29 and seized 12 million sticks of undeclared cigarettes.
"The cigarettes were valued at RM3.6mil and the unpaid duties estimated at RM8.28mil," he told a press conference here on Wednesday (Aug 20).
Norizan said a local man aged 54 was arrested during the raid and subsequently released on a RM50,000 bond.
Initial investigations found that the warehouse was used to store undeclared items, he said.
The case is still being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act and offenders can be fined up to RM500,000, or jailed not more than five years, or both.
He urged the public to report smuggling activities to the Customs hotline at 1-800 888 855 or the nearest Customs office, adding that all information will be kept confidential.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Labuan court fines ex-veteran RM48,000 over forged documents
LABUAN: The Labuan Special Corruption Court yesterday fined a former armed forces veteran RM48,000 after he pleaded guilty to 12 alternative charges of submitting false documents in claims exceeding RM336,000. Fairuzul Fazillah Musa, formerly attached to Labuan armed forces, had initially been charged under Section 471, read together with Section 468 of the Penal Code. He was accused of using forged documents as genuine in claims for local training and annual honorarium allowances between January 2015 and February 2016. The prosecution later offered 12 alternative charges under Section 471 read with Section 465 of the Penal Code, to which he pleaded guilty. Judge Jason Juga also imposed a fine of RM4,000 on each charge, in default four months' imprisonment, amounting to RM48,000, which was fully settled by the accused. Deputy public prosecutor Joe Randy Juster appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented. –Bernama
Barnama
3 hours ago
- Barnama
Army Foils RM600,000 Cannabis Smuggling Attempt At Thai Border
KOTA BHARU, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- The vigilance of the Malaysian Army (TDM) once again paid off when it successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle 207 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis worth more than RM600,000 in the Sungai Golok area along the Malaysia-Thailand border. The Malaysian Second Infantry Division (2 Div) in a statement today said the incident occurred at 12.45 pm when a patrol team under the responsibility of the Eighth Infantry Brigade encountered four men transferring items from a boat to the riverbank on the Malaysian side. 'Upon realising the presence of the operational team, all the suspects fled to the Thai bank, leaving the items behind.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Siblings drown in unfenced construction pond site in Ipoh
IPOH: Two siblings were found drowned in a water retention pond located within an unfenced construction site in Lebuh Perindustrian Sin Yong Seng, Taman Chemor Ria, here yesterday. The boys, aged eight and nine, had reportedly gone out to play near their rented home, which is adjacent to the construction area, before the tragedy occurred. District police chief Assistant Commissioner Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said authorities received an emergency call via MERS 999 at 8.33pm yesterday. He said initial information indicated that members of the public had discovered two unconscious children in the pond. "Both victims were immediately rushed to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) for emergency treatment, but were unfortunately pronounced dead at 9.39pm on the same night," he said when contacted tonight. He added that an initial investigation at the scene revealed the construction site was not secured with fencing, and no warning signage was displayed to alert the public of potential hazards. "A post-mortem conducted at HRPB's forensic unit confirmed that the cause of death was drowning," he said. The case is being investigated under Section 33 of the Child Act 2001, which pertains to child negligence and is punishable by a fine of up to RM20,000, a jail term of up to five years, or both. He advised the public to always prioritise children's safety, especially when near high-risk areas such as rivers, ponds, mining pools, or construction sites. "Developers and contractors are also reminded to comply with safety regulations, including installing fencing and warning signs at construction sites to prevent unwanted incidents. "Anyone with information related to this case is urged to contact the investigating officer, Inspector P. Munesuwari, at 016-5921325, or reach out to any nearby police station," he said.
