SEMPORNA: Marine Police (PPM) here thwarted a man’s attempt to smuggle 2,000 packets of cigarettes from the Philippines meant for the local market when they arrested him in the waters off Tongkaloh, near here, yesterday.
Sabah Region 4 Marine Police commander, ACP Mohamad Pajeri Ali, said the 29-year-old Filipino man was arrested at 10am when a PPM patrol boat detected a boat operated by the suspect.
“Upon checking the vessel, we found four brown boxes with 2,000 packets of Astro Menthol King cigarettes for which duty have not been paid.
“The arrest and seizure was a result of information channelled through the Marine Intelligence Unit (URM) on cigarette smuggling activities in the area,“ he said in a statement here today.
He said the suspect and the seized boat with cigarettes worth RM55,882 were towed to the PPM jetty for further action under the Customs Act 1967.
He added that the smuggling of cigarettes has to be addressed as it caused the government to suffer heavy losses in taxable revenue. — Bernama
