Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

TAWAU: Two men were arrested by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) for possessing a total of 10,160 packs of contraband cigarettes of various brands, worth over RM149,000, in a raid at a house in Kampung Hidayat Batu 4, here.

Its Commander Datuk Ahmad Fuad said the suspects, aged 50 and 55, were detained in the 2.30am raid on Thursday.

“A search in a store room on the ground floor of the house led to the discovery of 8,630 packs of contraband cigarettes, while another 1,530 packs were stored in a room on the first floor,” he said.

Both the suspects and seized unpaid duty items were brought to the Tawau district police office, he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.

Ahmad Fuad said co-operation between security forces will be enhanced from time to time to curb drug syndicates and cross-border crimes. He urged coastal communities to provide information on criminal activities in their areas in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone) by contacting the 24-hour Esscom operation centre at 089-863181.