Sabah Customs Seize Contraband Cigarettes Worth Rm8 Mln

KOTA KINABALU, July 17 (Bernama) -- Customs officials in Sabah seized various brands of contraband cigarettes worth over RM8 million, in a raid at Lorong Sedco 9, Batu 3, Sandakan last week.

Sabah Zone Customs assistant director-general Datuk Mohd Nasir Deraman, said acting on intelligence , the raid was conducted at 4.55 pm on July 10 by a team from the Customs Enforcement Division in Kota Kinabalu at an unnumbered storage facility.

"During the raid, various brands of suspected untaxed cigarettes were found stored in the facility. The total seized amounted to 5.26 million sticks of various brands valued at RM526,228.

"The estimated value of duties and taxes involved is RM7.52 million. Three Malaysian men aged between 33 and 47 were arrested to assist in the investigation," he said at a press conference at the Customs Tower here today.

He explained that the modus operandi in this case was to conceal untaxed goods with the intention of evading taxes and gaining a competitive edge in the local market, and the case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.

Mohd Nasir stressed that smuggling activities not only harm the country in terms of revenue loss but also pose a threat to national security and the welfare of the people.

He urged the public to cooperate by providing information on smuggling activities through the Customs toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-8855, and assured that the identity of informants would be kept confidential."

-- BERNAMA