MIRI: The Sarawak Customs Department seized a lorry loaded with various brands of beer worth RM25,728 and unpaid duties and taxes valued at RM49,307.
Its director Datuk Sharifah Halimah Tuanku Taha said a total of 3,140 litres of alcoholic beverages were seized during a raid conducted at 6.15am yesterday.
“Members of the public filed a complaint on the lorry, which was covered with canvas and found parked by the roadside at Jalan Spring, Lutong near here.
“We dispatched an enforcement team from Bintulu and discovered crates of beer in the vehicle, but there is no one at the scene.
“We believe the items were smuggled into the state and were being prepared for distribution to premises around the town,” she said in a statement here today.
The case, Halimah said, is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, which provides for a fine 10 times the total value of the goods or RM100,000, or between six months and five years’ jail, or both, if convicted.