KOTA KINABALU: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department Sabah has seized contraband cigarettes and liquor, as well as electrical goods, worth RM878,858, in four separate raids.
State Customs assistant director-general Saidin Jalaluddin said all the goods were believed to have been smuggled in for the local market by being declared as other goods.
“The first seizure took place on March 4, following an inspection of three containers at Sepanggar Port, where authorities discovered 41,472 bottles of various types of liquor suspected of not undergoing customs clearance, with an estimated value of RM809,028.
“The second seizure occurred around 2 pm on the same day when the operations team raided premises in Kota Kinabalu city. The raid led to the confiscation of 751.16 litres of various types of liquor, worth RM2,144, with an estimated tax value of RM6,723,” he said at a press conference, today.
Saidin added that the third seizure took place on March 5 and 7, at a store located in the Pasar Tamu Brumas area, in Tawau.
“The team successfully seized 26,726 sticks of contraband cigarettes, valued at RM25,015. The fourth seizure, which took place on March 6, involved cables and electrical goods at the Lahad Datu Express Bus Terminal area.
“Among the seized items were 216 rolls of cables and LED lights of various brands, suspected to be prohibited goods, with an estimated value of RM5,060, including taxes,” he said.
He added that, based on initial investigations into all four cases, the syndicate’s modus operandi involved making false declarations. Further investigations are ongoing, under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967.
