JOHOR BARU: Police have busted a cigarette-smuggling syndicate and seized contraband worth RM1.6 million in a raid in the Taman Johor industrial area here early yesterday morning.
Commander of the Region Two Marine Police Force (PPM) ACP Paul Khiu Khon Chiang said in the 2 a.m-raid, the team comprising an officer and eight personnel found two men who were in midst of moving black plastic boxes from a van into a lorry.
He said the syndicate from a neighbouring country was believed to have been operating since early this year, using land routes as its modus operandi to escape the authorities.
When they detected police presence, the two men tried to escape but police managed to apprehend one while the other fled.
“Checks of the van and lorry found 205 boxes of cigarettes of the brand ‘Concept’ of various flavours containing 102,500 packets of cigarettes, valued at RM1.6 million,” he said in a press conference at the Region Two PPM headquarters here today.
Also present was Johor Baru Utara District Police Chief ACP Mohd Taib Ahmad.
Khiu said the PPM was conducting further investigations but the syndicate used land routes and had escaped the tight checks of enforcement bodies.
“Usually, (smuggling syndicates) use the sea (to smuggle) but now they are using land. We believe this is not the first time.
“It may be a ploy, if we check visually from outside, we will see an empty van with chairs, but the cigarettes are actually hidden under the chairs,” he said.
He added that in the raid, the PPM also seized a Mitsubishi Fuso lorry, a Nissan Urvan van and a Proton Wira believed to be owned by the male suspect who escaped in the raid, with the total value of confiscated goods at RM145,000.
Khiu said results of a urine test conducted on the 30-year-old suspect, a local man, was found to be positive for the drug, methamphetamine.
He added that the suspect is being remanded for seven days from today until April 15 and the case is being investigated under Section 135 (1) (d) of the Customs Act 1967. — Bernama
