MERSING: Police have crippled a cigarette smuggling syndicate after seizing 1,332 cartons of illicit cigarettes worth about RM6mil in three separate raids.
A total of 23 suspects, aged between 24 and 46, including 16 Indonesians were arrested in the raids, Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Comm Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said.
Besides the illicit cigarettes, police also seized five lorries, 19 cars, five Eramin 5 pills and RM9,645 in cash.
He said the total value seized during the raids on Wednesday amounted to about RM9mil.
Comm Acryl told a press conference here yesterday that the first raid was on a factory in Felda Tenggaroh 2 where two Malaysians and six foreigners were arrested.
A house in Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Baru, and another factory in Kota Iskandar were then busted.
Comm Acryl said the syndicate had been active for about a year and that one of the Malaysian suspects was believed to be the syndicate mastermind.
