Latest news with #RohaizadAli
Malay Mail
02-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Penang customs seize cigarettes, liquor worth RM2.67m
BUTTERWORTH, July 2 — The Penang Customs Department detained two men and crippled a smuggling syndicate, seizing various cigarettes as well as alcoholic beverages worth RM2.67 million in separate raids in the state recently. State Customs director Rohaizad Ali said in the first case, its enforcement officers detained two suspects after inspecting a lorry parked at a Bukit Mertajam residential area car park on May 6. 'We detained two men, in their 20s and 30s, who were found not far from the parked lorry. They were the driver and assistant of the vehicle. Further checks of the lorry uncovered white and kretek cigarettes suspected to be untaxed. 'The seized cigarettes amounted to 1.32 million sticks, valued at RM431,504, with total unpaid duties estimated at RM1.34 million. Investigations found that all the cigarettes were smuggled in from a neighbouring country to be distributed in northern states,' he said at a press conference here today. He said investigations revealed that the syndicate's modus operandi involved abandoning lorries loaded with smuggled cigarettes in public parking areas to evade detection by authorities. Rohaizad added that investigations are ongoing to trace the cigarette smuggling syndicate, which is believed to have an international network. Meanwhile, in a second case, the Customs team raided a house in a Butterworth residential area on May 9, seizing various alcoholic beverages valued at RM236,737.20, with total unpaid duties amounting to RM663,027.03. 'During the raid, the house was locked and unoccupied. Our team broke down the door and discovered a variety of alcoholic beverages, including 15,288 cans of beer and 13,820 bottles of liquor stored in the residence,' he said. He added that the homeowner claimed to have rented the property to an individual, and customs officers are tracking down the suspect involved in the case. Both cases are being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967. — Bernama
The Sun
02-07-2025
- The Sun
Penang customs seize RM2.67m in smuggled cigarettes and liquor
BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Customs Department detained two men and crippled a smuggling syndicate, seizing various cigarettes as well as alcoholic beverages worth RM2.67 million in separate raids in the state recently. State Customs director Rohaizad Ali said in the first case, its enforcement officers detained two suspects after inspecting a lorry parked at a Bukit Mertajam residential area car park on May 6. 'We detained two men, in their 20s and 30s, who were found not far from the parked lorry. They were the driver and assistant of the vehicle. Further checks of the lorry uncovered white and kretek cigarettes suspected to be untaxed. 'The seized cigarettes amounted to 1.32 million sticks, valued at RM431,504, with total unpaid duties estimated at RM1.34 million. Investigations found that all the cigarettes were smuggled in from a neighbouring country to be distributed in northern states,' he said at a press conference here today. He said investigations revealed that the syndicate's modus operandi involved abandoning lorries loaded with smuggled cigarettes in public parking areas to evade detection by authorities. Rohaizad added that investigations are ongoing to trace the cigarette smuggling syndicate, which is believed to have an international network. Meanwhile, in a second case, the Customs team raided a house in a Butterworth residential area on May 9, seizing various alcoholic beverages valued at RM236,737.20, with total unpaid duties amounting to RM663,027.03. 'During the raid, the house was locked and unoccupied. Our team broke down the door and discovered a variety of alcoholic beverages, including 15,288 cans of beer and 13,820 bottles of liquor stored in the residence,' he said. He added that the homeowner claimed to have rented the property to an individual, and customs officers are tracking down the suspect involved in the case. Both cases are being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
New Straits Times
02-07-2025
- New Straits Times
Illicit cigarettes, liquor worth RM2.67mil seized in Penang
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.
The Star
02-07-2025
- The Star
Penang Customs raids yield RM2.67mil in ciggies, alcohol
BUTTERWORTH: Separate raids in Penang have foiled smuggling activities involving some RM2.67mil in cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department announces. The state Customs director Rohaizad Ali said in the first raid on May 6, enforcement officers conducted a check on a lorry that was parked at a housing area in Bukit Mertajam. "Inspection found 1,320,8000 sticks of kretek (clove cigarettes) and white cigarettes of various brands in the lorry's cargo compartment," he told a press conference at the Bagan Jermal enforcement storage facility on Wednesday (July 2). Rohaizad said the value of the seized contraband is worth RM431,504, with a duty amount of RM1,346,382.40. He said the lorry driver and co-driver aged in their 20s and 30s were arrested during the raid, adding that investigations found that the contraband items were smuggled in from a neighbouring country. Rohaizad said the case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, which carries a fine between RM100,000 and RM500,000, imprisonment of six months to five years, or both, upon conviction. In a second raid on May 9, customs enforcement officers raided an empty house in Butterworth, where they found various brands of alcoholic beverages. He said the contraband items that were seized are 15,288 cans of beer and 13,820 bottles of liquor. He said the seized item was worth about RM236,737.20, with unpaid duties amounting to RM663,027.03. "We have identified the owner of the house, who informed us that it had been rented out," he said. Rohaizad added that investigations are still ongoing, and efforts are underway to trace the individual who rented the property. He said the case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, which carries a fine between RM100,000 and RM500,000, imprisonment of six months to five years, or both, upon conviction. "Customs urges the public to help combat smuggling by providing information regarding any smuggling activities," he said.
The Star
06-06-2025
- The Star
Penang Customs thwarts RM5mil vape smuggling bid
BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Customs Department has thwarted an attempt to smuggle in over 80,000 vape pods and nearly 1,000 litres of vape liquid, worth a staggering RM5.1mil including taxes, into the country via Penang and Selangor. Its director Rohaizad Ali said the first raid revealed that the illicit consignment had been declared as plastic materials and hidden among other imported goods in a bid to evade detection. The first raid saw Customs officers inspecting a container at the North Butterworth Container Terminal at around 1.15pm on April 3. 'Our officers seized 14,200 unit of vape pods and 220 litres of vape liquid worth about RM1.5mil, including taxes,' he told a press conference yesterday. Rohaizad added that during the raid, two men – a port agent and a Chinese national in their 30s – were detained. In the second raid at Port Klang on April 10, Customs officers confiscated 71,886 vape pods and 786 litres of vape liquid and electronic gels worth about RM3.64mil. A port agent was arrested to assist in investigations, said Rohaizad. Meanwhile, the department also seized more than 18kg of ganja buds worth some RM1.8mil in separate operations in the state. Rohaizad said on April 16, a team from the Customs narcotics unit conducted checks on parcels at Pos Malaysia's mail courier centre in Batu Kawan and discovered four packages containing dried plant material believed to be ganja buds. He said the seized drugs weighed slightly over 2.2kg and were valued at RM219,128. To avoid detection, the parcels were declared as containing nine units of 'comic books' and exported to the United Kingdom before being returned with the status of 'returned parcel'.
