MUAR: A 36-year-old man was detained with 559,560 sticks of duty not paid cigarettes at a house in Bukit Treh, near here, yesterday.
Muar district acting police chief Supt. Muhammad Aidil Roneh Abdullah said the man was detained at about 12 noon by a team from the Civil Defence Forces (PGA) and a team from the Johor Police Contraband Task Force.
Aidil said following information and surveillance over a week, the team moved in to detain the suspect and found 179,160 sticks of clove cigarettes and 380,400 sticks of white cigarettes believed to have been smuggled into the country.
The total value of the seizure, including unpaid duty for the cigarettes and a Perodua Alza, was RM649,447.40, he said.
“We believe the seized cigarettes belong to the suspect. The cigarettes will be sold in and around the Muar district. The suspect may have an accomplice to sell the cigarettes. Investigations also revealed that the suspect has past criminal records,” said Aidil at the Muar plice Headquarters, today.
The case will be investigated under Section 135 (1), of the Customs Act 1967.-Bernama