NEGERI CUSTOMS SEIZE TOBACCO WORTH RM600,000 HIDDEN IN CONTAINER FROM INDIA

SEREMBAN, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- Negeri Sembilan Customs (JKDM) foiled a smuggling attempt at West Port, Port Klang with the seizure of a container from India containing tobacco with an estimated value including tax duty of more than RM614,868.22.

Customs director Muhammad Ilyas Queek Abdullah said a team from the Negeri Sembilan JKDM enforcement division conducted an inspection on a container from India at West Port in Port Klang on Nov 20 at 1 pm.

According to him, the (loose-leaf powder) tobacco was hidden in the rear potion behind 85 boxes of snacks and five boxes of soft drinks in the container to fool the authorities and avoid paying tax.

"The inspection revealed a total of 716 boxes or 3,580 kilogrammes (kg) of tobacco arranged in the inside of the container. The total estimated value was RM361,962.25 with unpiad duty of RM252,905.97.

"Tobacco is a prohibited item and importation is subject to an import permit under Details of Section 66 | Third Schedule of the Customs Order (Prohibition on Import) 2023," he said at the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Negeri Sembilan here today.

He said a suspect, who is a local man in his 30s, was arrested and all the items in the case along with the container were seized in accordance with Section 114 of the Customs Act 1967 for further investigations.

Muhammad Ilyas said the modus operandi of this syndicate was to make a false declaration that required an import permit and the case is being investigated in accordance with Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967.

-- BERNAMA