Kota Kinabalu: Contraband cigarettes worth RM4.03 million including tax were seized from a terrace house in Luyang, here, on Wednesday.
In the operation at 7pm, the Sabah Customs enforcement operations unit, together with the elite Customs Operational Battle Force Response Assault (Cobra) team, found over 5.98 million sticks of various brands of illicit cigarettes.
Sabah Customs Assistant Director General Mohd Nasir Deraman said a 29-year-old local man was also arrested in the raid conducted following a public tip-off.
He said the seized cigarettes were estimated to be worth RM1.18 million.
“The modus operandi involved stashing illicit items in a residential house in order to fool the authorities,” he told a press conference at the Sabah Customs Enforcement office, here, Friday.
He added that the suspect is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 for smuggling untaxed goods.
It provides for a fine not less than 10 times the value of the items seized or RM100,000, whichever was higher, on conviction.
He urged the public to continue becoming the “eyes and ears” by supplying information related to smuggling activities.
“Smuggling, be it cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, fireworks or cars, incurs a huge loss to the country and even threatens the safety of its people,” he stressed.
