Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) seized four containers containing contraband cigarettes and liquor worth RM9 million in two separate raids this month.
Its Assistant Director Mohd Nasir Deraman said the goods were believed to have been smuggled via Tawau and Sepanggar ports with unpaid duties and taxes estimated at more than RM7.91 million.
For the case at Tawau Port, he said, the Tawau JKDM Enforcement Division and the Customs Operational Battle Force Response Assault (COBRA) seized two containers of liquor at the port at 7.20pm on Dec 13.
“There were 36,432 litres of liquor worth RM218,227.68 with unpaid duties and taxes of RM568,069.12,” he said.
Mohd Nasir said two other containers containing liquor and cigarettes were seized by Kota Kinabalu Special Investigation Branch and Enforcement Operations Unit after a scan showed a suspicious-looking image that was not the same as the one declared in the cargo list at the Sepanggar Port at 10.15am on Dec 14.
He said during the initial inspection of the first container, 31,752 litres of liquor were found worth an estimated RM104,781.60 and unpaid taxes of RM466,278.12.
In the second container, Customs found more than 10.3 million white cigarettes worth RM824,000 with unpaid taxes of more than RM6.88 million.
The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967.
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