Illicit cigarettes, liquor worth RM2.67mil seized in Penang

New Straits Times

02-07-2025

BUTTERWORTH: Penang Customs successfully dismantled two smuggling attempts involving illicit cigarettes and liquor, with the total value including duties and taxes exceeding RM2.67 million, in separate operations conducted in May.
State Customs director Rohaizad Ali said the first seizure involved 1.32 million sticks of white cigarettes and kretek found in a parked lorry at a residential area in Bukit Mertajam on May 6.
He said officers from the Enforcement Department's Operations Unit inspected the vehicle and discovered the cigarettes, believed to be untaxed, stored in its cargo hold.
He said the lorry was abandoned with its keys inside, a suspected modus operandi to avoid detection by authorities.
"The total value of the seized goods is estimated at RM431,504, with duties and taxes amounting to around RM1.35 million.
"The cigarettes are believed to have been brought in from a neighbouring country," he told newsmen here today.
Rohaizad said two men, a lorry driver and co-driver in their 20s and 30s, who were nearby at the time of the raid, were nabbed to assist in the investigation.
The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, which provides for a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the goods or RM100,000, whichever is higher, and not more than 20 times the value or RM500,000, or imprisonment of between six months and five years, or both, upon conviction.
In the second case on May 9, Customs officers raided a house in a residential neighbourhood here, where they seized a large quantity of liquor and beer believed to be untaxed.
"The seizure involved 15,288 cans of beer and 13,820 bottles of liquor, with an estimated value of RM236,737.20, and total duties and taxes estimated at RM663,027.03," he added.
The items are believed to have been temporarily stored at the premises before being distributed to the local market.
The case is also being investigated under the same provision of the Customs Act 1967.
Rohaizad stressed that both cigarettes and liquor are classified as prohibited import items under the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 2023, and firm action would continue to be taken against all parties involved.