BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Customs Department detained two men and crippled a smuggling syndicate, seizing various cigarettes as well as alcoholic beverages worth RM2.67 million in separate raids in the state recently.
State Customs director Rohaizad Ali said in the first case, its enforcement officers detained two suspects after inspecting a lorry parked at a Bukit Mertajam residential area car park on May 6.
“We detained two men, in their 20s and 30s, who were found not far from the parked lorry. They were the driver and assistant of the vehicle. Further checks of the lorry uncovered white and kretek cigarettes suspected to be untaxed.
“The seized cigarettes amounted to 1.32 million sticks, valued at RM431,504, with total unpaid duties estimated at RM1.34 million. Investigations found that all the cigarettes were smuggled in from a neighbouring country to be distributed in northern states,“ he said at a press conference here today.
He said investigations revealed that the syndicate’s modus operandi involved abandoning lorries loaded with smuggled cigarettes in public parking areas to evade detection by authorities.
Rohaizad added that investigations are ongoing to trace the cigarette smuggling syndicate, which is believed to have an international network.
Meanwhile, in a second case, the Customs team raided a house in a Butterworth residential area on May 9, seizing various alcoholic beverages valued at RM236,737.20, with total unpaid duties amounting to RM663,027.03.
“During the raid, the house was locked and unoccupied. Our team broke down the door and discovered a variety of alcoholic beverages, including 15,288 cans of beer and 13,820 bottles of liquor stored in the residence,“ he said.
He added that the homeowner claimed to have rented the property to an individual, and customs officers are tracking down the suspect involved in the case.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
