KLANG: The Customs Department seized 5.9 million sticks of white cigarettes, worth more than RM4.3 million, through two separate operations, conducted in Seri Kembangan and Kuala Lumpur, on Feb 22 and 29.
Customs deputy director-general (Enforcement and Compliance) Datuk Sazali Mohamad said that the first seizure, of two million sticks of white cigarettes, was made after the team raided a warehouse in Seri Kembangan.
“During this raid, we found two million sticks of cigarettes, estimated to be worth RM1.33 million. All the seized items have been impounded and taken to the Northport Enforcement Store for further investigation,“ he said, at a press conference at the Northport Customs office, here today.
He said that on Feb 29 the team conducted a raid on a lorry along the Karak-Kuala Lumpur Highway, and a total of 3.9 million sticks of white cigarettes, with an estimated value of RM3.01 million, were seized.
Sazali said that a local man who was the lorry driver was arrested, and both cases were investigated under Section 135(1)(d) and Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967, for storing and transporting prohibited goods.
In an unrelated development, Sazali said that, on Feb 28, the Customs Central Zone Enforcement Division had detained four containers containing used batteries, estimated to be worth RM1.17 million, believed to not have permits, in the West Port.
He said that the containers were impounded after a scan showed a dubious image, which was inconsistent with the description of the declared merchandise, as aluminium flakes, in Customs Form 1, to avoid being detected by authorities.
The next day, cigarettes, liquor and electronic waste, worth RM1.52 million, kept in two containers, were also impounded at the same port, after an attempt to mislead the authorities by declaring the goods as copper alloy through a manifest form, to avoid detection by Customs, failed, he said. -Bernama
