By William Isau
SIBU, Feb 25: Three men have been arrested for allegedly possessing illicit cigarettes and liquor worth RM292,396 in Sarikei.
10th Battalion General Operations Force (GOF) commanding officer Supt Mohammad Hafiz Kadir, said the operation was carried out in three locations on Wednesday, where three suspects aged between 20 and 30 were caught.
In the first raid at 2pm at a coffee shop in Pasar Jakar, they confiscated 58 cartons of beer, 215 cartons of white cigarettes, and 1,200 sticks of kretek cigarettes (sometimes referred to as clove cigarettes, they are imported from Indonesia and typically contain a mixture of tobacco, cloves, and other additives) with a value of RM42,653.52 including tax.
Mohammad Hafiz said in the second raid at a nearby shop half an hour later, the same team seized 408 cartons of beer, 36,200 sticks of white cigarettes, and 16 cartons of kretek cigarettes worth RM101,072.56 including tax.
“The third raid on a shop in Jalan Bazaar involved the seizure of 972 cartons of cigarettes of various brands worth RM148,670 including tax,” he added.
He added that the suspects had failed to show valid documentation for the items from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
The suspects and the seizures were handed over to the police for further action.
The cases are being investigated under section 135 (1) (d) of the Customs Act 1967. — DayakDaily
