LANGKAWI: The Kedah-Perlis Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) today disposed of 975,000 packets (or 97,500 cartons) of contraband cigarettes and 39 sacks of tobacco estimated to be worth more than RM15 million (including unpaid Customs duty).
Its director Maritime First Admiral Romli Mustafa, said that all the untaxed contraband cigarettes and tobacco that were disposed of today were confiscated in January 2022.
“The disposal of cigarettes and tobacco takes time because it is necessary to follow procedures. These cigarettes and tobacco can no longer be used but they must be disposed of for fear that they will be resold.
“Disposal is done through a safe method by burning it in an incinerator that is managed by a responsible company. It is burned with a maximum temperature between 850 to 1,300 celcius,” he said at the disposal procedure at an incinerator plant here today.
Also present was deputy director (operations) of Kedah-Perlis Maritime Captain Mohammad Nasir Man.
On Jan 13, 2022, the Kedah-Perlis MMEA successfully foiled an international syndicate’s attempt to smuggle in the cigarettes and tobacco when it arrested the captain of an Indonesian boat and it’s seven crew, aged between 19 and 55, through Op Khas Aman.
He said that the cigarettes and tobacco were found after MMEA stopped a barter trading boat at a position 2.7 nautical miles west off Tanjung Belua, Langkawi at 4 am.
In the meantime, Romli said MMEA will continue to monitor through continuous patrolling operations involving the entry of big-scale illegal cigarettes considering that the waters of this state are located close to neighbouring countries.
“Smuggled cigarettes or untaxed cigarettes are in high demand due to the very low cut-price compared to the market price,” he said. –Bernama
