SIBU: Four of 20 forwarding agents set to have their licences suspended next month for smuggling contraband, are from Sarawak.
Customs Department director-general Datuk Seri Subromaniam Tholasy said three of the forwarding companies were the forwarding agents for the shipper of 12 containers bearing more than RM27 million worth of contraband seized here and Sarikei recently.
“Since April this year, the department started implementing the Demerit Point System, which enables us to monitor the compliance of forwarding agents in the country.
“Agents with more than 40 demerit points are liable to have the licences suspended or revoked. Each offence has its point and wrongful transport of dutiable goods is the highest at 40 points.
“This means forwarding agents will immediately have their licence suspended once they are caught transporting dutiable goods which are wrongly declared,” he told reporters here today.
The other forwarding agent in the state, which will have its licence suspended, was connected to the case involving the seizure of 430 master cases of contraband cigarettes at Senari Port in Kuching on Dec 4.
“Be prepared to face the consequences if they are brave enough (to transporting dutiable items that are wrongly declared).
“As a forwarding agent, it is their responsibility to check on the actual content of the consignment.
“They cannot take things for granted and give the excuse that they only received orders from the shipper. That is just not right,” he said, adding that there are some 3,000 forwarding agents in the country.
Translated from Berita Harian