Uncustomed Goods Worth RM2.57 Mln Seized, Liquor, Tobacco Syndicates Busted
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) has busted two syndicates involved in processing and bottling illicit liquor and smuggling chewing tobacco, seizing uncustomed goods worth RM2.57 million in a special operation recently.
Noraidah Ishak, who is performing the duties of the JKDM KL director, said two foreign men were also arrested during the Ops Suling, conducted from May 11 to 23.
She said that on May 20, the operations team raided two warehouses along Jalan Wangsa Utama, Taman Wangsa Permai here and seized 4,987 litres of whisky affixed with counterfeit tax stamps.
“The team also found equipment believed to have been used for processing and bottling liquor, including drums containing a chemical mixture suspected to be ethanol, rolls of counterfeit customs tax stamps, packaging equipment, bottle-capping machines and fake labels,” she said in a statement here today.
Noraidah said the seizure was valued at RM278,531, with duties and taxes amounting to RM672,669, bringing the total value to RM951,200, while two foreign men were arrested and remanded to assist in further investigations.
She said the syndicate was believed to have used warehouses located in secluded areas away from residential neighbourhoods to process and bottle counterfeit liquor.
“The case is being investigated under Section 74(1)(f) of the Excise Act 1976,” she said.
In the second case on May 14, Noraidah said the department detained a 20-foot container imported from a South Asian country at 9 pm.
She said inspections uncovered 5,449kg of suspected duty-unpaid chewing tobacco products, with the seized goods estimated to be worth RM944,944, while duties and taxes amounted to RM677,551.
“The total value of the seizure in this case is estimated at RM1,622,495. The syndicate's modus operandi was to bring prohibited goods into the country in containers without a valid import licence,” she said.
She said the case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967 for allegedly importing prohibited goods without a valid import licence.
She urged the public to help combat smuggling activities by providing information through the Customs toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-8855 or at the nearest customs office, saying the identity of all informants will be kept confidential.
-- BERNAMA
Latest News
- Johor Polls: PH Manifesto Developed By Coalition Leadership – Amirudin
- Johor Always A Priority For Federal Gov't - Ramanan
- Uncustomed Goods Worth RM2.57 Mln Seized, Liquor, Tobacco Syndicates Busted
- Proposed SJKT Ladang Sungai Muar Relocation In Land Ownership Stage - Yuneswaran
- Johor Polls: MCMC Activates Communications, Multimedia Complaints Centre