Holy smokes: Over RM11mil worth of contraband cigarettes seized.
The Johor Customs Department seized a container with RM11.33mil worth of contraband cigarettes from China.
The 40-foot container had landed at the Tanjung Pelepas Port on March 11 around 4pm, said the department’s Gelang Patah branch director Datuk Mohammad Hamiddan Maryani during a press conference on Monday (March 16).
“The contents were declared as oil filters, air filters, rubber hoses, and rubber belts.
“Upon inspection, we found numerous boxes containing a total of 51,500 cartons, or 10,300,00 sticks of U2 brand cigarettes,” he said.
Mohammad Hamiddan said that the amount of contraband totalled up to RM4.12mil with unpaid duty of RM7.21mil.
He added that a 41-year-old local man, who is the shipping agent for the contraband was arrested to assist with the investigation and has been released on a RM25,000 bail.
“The cigarettes are suspected to be sold in Johor, as this brand is particularly popular among Johoreans,” he said adding that this was the fourth case of cigarette smuggling this year.
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