PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian has been jailed for smuggling more than six million cigarettes into Australia.
He pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court and on Wednesday was sentenced to five years in prison with a non-parole period of three years.
The unnamed man was among two syndicate organisers who were intercepted while trying to leave Australia. The second organiser has also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in April.
Their case came to light after three Malaysians were caught red-handed unpacking the tobacco in two factories in Melbourne on Aug 10, 2017, according to the Australian Border Force (ABF).
They were arrested and charged under the Customs Act 1901, with possession of tobacco products, knowing that the goods were imported with the intention of defrauding revenue.
The Malaysians were convicted and sentenced to between 16 and 24 months’ imprisonment for their involvement in the importation.
The cigarettes were reported to have originated from Malaysia with a total alleged duty evasion of more than A$4 million (RM11.6 million).
