Customs Dept Seizes Rice, Liquor Worth Over RM2.09 Million

PETALING JAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (Customs) has foiled three smuggling activities involving rice and liquor, with a total value of more than RM2.09 million, in several raids conducted in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in September and October.

Customs Central Zone assistant director-general, Norlela Ismail, said that the department also arrested five individuals, who acted as agents, warehouse keepers and lorry drivers, through raids based on intelligence from the operations team from the Central Zone Enforcement Division Unit 1, for a month.

According to her, the first seizure involved 15,390 kilogrammes of rice, worth RM227,000, with taxes and duties totalling RM91,000, believed to have been brought in from India for the local market.

“The raid was carried out on Sept 30, following an inspection of a container at Port Klang, Selangor, which found several food products.

“Their modus operandi is to make a false declaration of 'Assorted Food Bag' on Customs Form 1, to avoid submitting an import licence during importation, by deliberately placing the rice merchandise at the back of the container load, with other food items," she said at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Customs Complex, here, today.

Norlela said that the second and third raids involved the seizure of various brands of liquor in October, at business premises in Jalan Tun H.S Lee, Kuala Lumpur, and a warehouse in an industrial area in Balakong Jaya, Selangor.

She said that the two raids involved the seizure of more than 30,000 litres of various brands of liquor, estimated to be worth almost RM300,000, with taxes and duties of approximately RM1.48 million, and all cases are still under investigation under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.

-- BERNAMA