PUTRAJAYA, April 30 — The Royal Malaysian Customs Department has foiled 1,856 smuggling activities involving various types of goods, with a RM350 million tax value as of March this year, said Customs assistant director-general (Enforcement) Ribuan Abdullah.
This amount marked a 182 per cent increase compared with RM124 million reported in the same period last year.
Speaking during a press conference today, he said vehicle smuggling activities recorded the highest seizure value at RM27.8 million, followed by contraband cigarettes (RM10.7 million), drugs (RM29.6 million), liquor (RM8.9 million), and textiles (RM3.9 million).
Among the types of vehicles seized were Toyota Alphard, Toyota Vellfire, Mercedes, and Yamaha RXZ motorcycles, which had been repaired.
For the same period, the department also seized RM323,365 in subsidised goods, which were to be smuggled into neighbouring countries.
Ribuan added that Sabah recorded the highest number of smuggling attempts, with 330 cases, followed by Kelantan (266), Sarawak (231), Johor (191), and Selangor (151 cases).
To increase security at eight airports nationwide, the department will install 40 baggage scanning machines equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology by this May.
“With a scanning machine with AI technology, it helps us identify items more clearly, for example, what items are in the container.
“Image analysis from this machine is more specific,” he said.
By using the scanning machine, the department has succeeded in cracking down on smuggling approximately 586kg of drugs as of yesterday.
The department is also planning to procure a cargo scanning machine equipped with a high-tech ‘multi-view dual energy drive through’ inspection system to curb smuggling activities at the country’s entry and exit points, especially in Port Klang.
“We (Customs) always try to ensure that smuggling activities can be curbed, with law enforcement and the use of the latest technology, in line with our vision to preserve the economy and control the border towards a progressive country,” Ribuan said.
— Bernama
