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JERTIH – Police thwarted an attempt to smuggle 9,900 cartons of contraband cigarettes worth RM1.48 million into the country in a raid in Teluk Air Tawar here, last Wednesday.
Besut Police chief Abdul Rozak Mohamad said in the 11.30pm raid mounted by a team from Marine Intelligence Unit, several men were spotted unloading the cigarettes from a boat into a waiting lorry, but they immediately fled the scene when the team approached.
“Upon search, 198 cartons of contraband cigarettes were found in the lorry.
“We believe that the cigarettes were smuggled from the neighbouring country via sea route and landed here to be transferred into the lorry and sent to the customers outside Besut.
“This is the biggest seizure of contraband cigarettes in Besut so far this year,” he told reporters at the Besut Police headquarters here today.
Also seized was the UD lorry with RM200,000, he said.
“Police are in the midst of tracking down the suspects and owner of the lorry. The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967,” he added. – Bernama, November 11, 2022