BUTTERWORTH, March 19 — The Penang Royal Malaysian Customs Department foiled an attempt to smuggle in an estimated RM1.8 million worth of white cigarettes in a container during an inspection in Port Klang on March 7.
Penang Customs director Roselan Ramli said the inspection was conducted when the container anchored at the port at about 10.40am.
“Upon further inspection, we discovered 900 boxes containing nine million sticks of white cigarettes worth about RM1.8 million with a total tax of RM6.12 million,” he said during a press conference today.
Based on the documents obtained, the container, which originated from a Southeast Asian country, was managed by a shipping company with a branch in Port Klang and imported by a company based in Selangor.
Roselan said that investigations have indicated the syndicate’s modus operandi is to declare the items as furniture to avoid detection by the authorities.
“Further investigations are underway to track down the suspects involved in the smuggling activities,” he said, adding the case is being investigated under the Customs Act 1967 and the Excise Act 1976.
— Bernama
