Customs Department officials in George Town seized nearly RM8 million worth of contraband cigarettes, which included taxes, after successfully dismantling a smuggling syndicate earlier this month. The enforcement team discovered a suspicious container in Port Klang around 10:40am on March 7, according to Roselan Ramli, the director of the Penang Customs Department.
Upon inspecting the container, authorities found 900 boxes of cigarettes, equivalent to nine million sticks, with an estimated value of RM1.8 million. These cigarettes were suspected of evading customs duty worth around RM6.12 million.
Roselan revealed that the container was handled by a shipping company in Port Klang but was imported by a private company in Selangor. The items in the container were falsely declared as furniture on the ‘bill of lading’ in an attempt to deceive enforcement authorities.
Based on documentation obtained, it is believed that the cigarettes originated from a southeastern country, Roselan stated during a press conference at the department’s enforcement store in Bagan Jermal on March 19.
The smuggled cigarettes were likely intended for sale to foreign laborers working on plantations and construction sites within the country, he added.
The case is currently under investigation under several sections of the Custom Act 1967 and the Excise Act 1976.
