PETALING JAYA: A tobacco company has suggested a ban on transhipment for cigarettes at entry points in Malaysia as they had been manipulated to bring illegal cigarettes into the country.
“There should only be a single point of entry for any importation of cigarettes into Malaysia,” JT International Bhd (JTI Malaysia) managing director Cormac O’Rourke said today.
“The aim is to avoid the manipulation of processes and procedures and enable better focus and monitoring of cigarette importation into the country.”
He also called for the establishment of an independent body to lead a special task force to address the sale of illegal cigarette sale.
“This independent body should comprise multiple government agencies and industry representatives.”
O’Rourke was commenting on illegal cigarettes sale in Malaysia which reached a new high of 58.9% last year, according to the 2018 Illicit Cigarette Study (ICS).
