By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 27: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) Sarawak has seized cigarettes, liquor, and frozen products worth RM2.26 million, including duties and taxes, in three operations around Sibu recently.
According to a TVS news report, Sarawak Customs director Datuk Norizan Yahya said the seizures involved two million sticks of cigarettes, 8,711 litres of liquor, and 64,524 kilogrammes of frozen products.
“In the first case, on July 30 at 9.20am, a team from the Sibu Enforcement Division, Land Operations Unit, raided an abandoned commercial building at Lorong Tunku Abdul Rahman 29A and found 1.2 million sticks of cigarettes as well as 3,294.72 litres of liquor.
“In the second case, on the same day at about 9.40am, another raid was conducted at a vacant house at Lorong Kong Yit Khim 8A, Sibu, which was used to store 800,000 sticks of white cigarettes of various brands without tax stamps, and 4,625.28 litres of liquor.
“The third case, on July 31 at 8.30am, saw Customs officers raid a warehouse at Lot 572, Jalan Then Kung Suk, where they uncovered three containers containing 64,524 kilogrammes of frozen products and 792 litres of liquor,” he told a press conference at the JKDM Sibu office today.
According to Norizan, all the goods were categorised as prohibited imports under the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 2023, which requires an import permit, and the cases are still under investigation.
“The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, which, upon conviction, carries a maximum fine of RM500,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both,” he stressed.
He also urged the public to assist JKDM in combating smuggling by channelling information via the Customs toll-free line, 1-800-88-8855, or by contacting the nearest Customs office. — DayakDaily
