GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Customs Department seized a total of 3,708,000 contraband cigarettes during two separate operations here this week.
Its director Datuk Saidi Ismail said the total value of the contraband cigarettes was RM296,952 and the customs tax value was RM2,321,965.
He said the first operation was a raid at an unoccupied premises in Jalan Batu Maung here on Tuesday morning. A total of 708,000 white and kretek cigarettes were seized.
“We are trying to identify the owner of the premises.
“We believe the modus operandi of these smugglers is to hide the cigarettes at an unoccupied premises in quiet areas.
“The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967,” he told a press conference at Bagan Jermal here.
Saidi said the department also seized a 10-tonne lorry and arrested its driver during the second operation at 3am on Thursday.
He said the lorry, which was stopped on the northbound lane at Km267 of the North-South Expressway, contained three million white cigarettes.
“They tried to hide the boxes of cigarettes behind dirty used mattresses to avoid detection,” he said.
Saidi said the cigarettes were believed to have come from Vietnam.
“The smugglers brought in the cigarettes by sea. We believe they were loaded into a ship bound for Malaysia before being transferred to a speed boat near Malaysian waters.
“The cigarettes were then brought to land for distribution,” he added.
He said the lorry driver has been remanded for five days and would be charged under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act.
Under Section 135 of the act, the first offence is punishable with a fine of at least 10 times, or RM100,000, and a maximum of 20 times of the tax value, whichever is higher, as well as a minimum six-month and maximum five-year jail sentence.
For the second offence, the fine is a minimum of 20 times of the tax value, or RM200,000, and a maximum 40 times of the tax value, or RM1,000,000, as well as a jail sentence between six months and five years.
Meanwhile, Saidi said based on tip-offs, the department seized six containers carrying rubber wood swan timber for export.
“In the manifest, the containers were declared as carrying finger jointed rubberwood.
‘’When we checked the containers, we found a wall of finger jointed wood in front, and behind it was rubber wood swan timber, which has been banned for export.
“The items are estimated to be valued at RM343,000,” he said.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act and Section 133(1)(a) of the same act.