Approximately RM500,000 worth of illegal cigarettes are seized by Kelantan Customs Dept.
Following a Wednesday search on a vehicle parked in a village road, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) has recovered illegal cigarettes worth more than RM500,000 including tax.
The Toyota Hiace van, suspected of being utilised as a storage space for illegal cigarettes, was the subject of information gathering by the Kota Bharu JKDM Enforcement Division operations team under the name “Ops Benteng,” according to state JKDM director Mohd Nasir Deraman.
The total estimated value of the cigarettes was RM98,650, with a tax value of RM452,725 on them.
To prevent being discovered by law enforcement before distributing the illegal cigarettes to local clients, the cigarette smuggling organisation purposefully employed the car as a storage space for illegal cigarettes.
According to Section 135 (1) (d) of the Customs Act of 1967, the case will be looked into, and thus far this year, 183 seizures of illegal cigarettes have been reported.
11 million cigarettes totaling RM1.5 million in value and RM7.4 million in taxes were seized. Additionally, 22 people have been detained and charged in court in relation to these actions.
