MELAKA CUSTOMS FOIL SMUGGLING OF LIQUOR, CIGARETTES WORTH RM12.8 MLN

MELAKA, The Royal Malaysian Customs Department of Melaka recently thwarted two smuggling activities involving liquor and cigarettes valued at nearly RM12.8 million including taxes around Johor. Melaka Customs director Nadzri Che Ani said the first case, which occurred on Feb 28, involved the seizure of 15.17 million sticks of cigarettes and 33,835 litres of liquors of various brands worth RM12.59 million at a warehouse in Parit Sulong. He said the Melaka Customs Enforcement Division detected the operation of the unmarked warehouse during patrols and intelligence activities in the area, suspected to be a syndicate route, at around 10 am. 'The premises were found locked and after a six-hour observation, the team raided the warehouse at 6.30 pm. 'They discovered cigarettes and liquor stored in the premises, as well as in two lorries and a container in the area,' he told a press conference here today. He said further investigations are ongoing to trace the involved parties. However, the warehouse had not bee n licensed by local authorities for any operations since 2022, and the two lorries and the container were registered under a logistics company. Preliminary investigations revealed that the warehouse had been used as a storage facility for the smuggled goods for the past year, with the cigarettes and liquor suspected to be sold in the Melaka and Johor markets. Meanwhile, Nadzri said the second seizure involved 4,222.56 litres of various branded liquors estimated to be worth RM203,603.12, smuggled using three vehicles around Johor Bahru and Batu Pahat between 11.30 pm and 4.30 am two days ago. He said two Toyota Estimas and a Toyota Lexus with dark-tinted rear windows were found to be concealing the liquor under a black cloth to avoid detection by authorities. 'The drivers of the three vehicles managed to escape when stopped, but efforts are underway to trace the car owners involved,' he said. Authorities are also conducting further investigations to determine if the two cases are related and whether they involve the same smuggling syndicate. Source: BERNAMA News Agency