KUCHING: The General Operations Force (GOF) seized a total of 7,650 cartons of illicit cigarettes worth more than RM1 million in a raid at a warehouse in Batu Kitang, here, on Sunday.
The cigarettes were believed to have been smuggled from a neighboring country and meant for local distribution.
The GOF's 11th Battalion assistant commanding officer Deputy Superintendent Kinsi Bilu said six personnel from the GOF and two officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raided the premises at 2pm.
"The warehouse was locked and no one answered the door. Hence, we have to break the padlock.
"Cigarettes of various brands, estimated to be worth RM1,453, 500 were found in the premises," he said.
Kinsi said the team had been monitoring the warehouse for about a week following a tip-off.
"We believed the suspect or people in charge of the warehouse fled after noticing our presence." he said today.
He added that the seizure was one of this year's biggest haul for GOF.
The case is being investigated under Section 135 (1) of Customs Act 1967 while the seized cigarettes had been handed over to the Padawan district office for further action.