Kota Kinabalu: Customs officers seized sarong worth more than RM1.6 million in a raid on a condominium unit in Kolombong, near here, following weeks of surveillance.
State Customs Department Assistant Director-General Datuk Mohd Nasir Deraman said a total of 439 sacks containing 175,600 pieces of sarong that were subject under the Customs (Prohibition of Import) Order 2023 were confiscated.
He said Customs officers and the Customs Operational Battle Force Response Assault (Cobra) unit conducted the raid around 5pm on Jan 5.
“The seized goods weighed 39,510kg and are valued at RM1,635,318,” he told a press conference here, Thursday.
Mohd Nasir said a foreign woman, in her 30s, was detained to assist in investigations.
Preliminary investigation found that all the 439 sacks were imported from China and were declared as garment fabrics.
Mohd Nasir said the shipper used another tariff code while the description of the goods were not correctly stated in the Customs declaration form.
On why it took the department almost two months to reveal the case, Mohd Nasir said there were many aspects to investigate and that they had to get clearer details before announcing the success.
The case is being investigated for importing uncustomed and prohibited goods under the Customs Act 1967.
