JOHOR BARU: A consignment of canned sardines imported from Singapore worth about RM84,000 was seized at the Causeway checkpoint at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, here, on March 27.
Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) officers confiscated the canned sardines which were transported into the country in a lorry after its driver failed to produce import permits.
Johor Maqis director Edie Putra Md Yusof said the seizure was made upon inspections on the lorry ferrying 16,320kg of imported canned sardines worth RM 83,879.84 at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex that Wednesday.
It is an offence under Section 11(1) of the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011 (Act 728) to import edible goods for without a Maqis import permit.
The perpetrator could face a fine of RM100,000, or jail term up to six years or both.
The 30-year-old driver's statement was recorded before he was released.