Four contraband cigarette sellers held in Kuala Terengganu

KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu police arrested four men suspected to be involved in the sale of contraband cigarettes and unlicensed money lending (ah long) in the state.

Terengganu Deputy Police Chief Datuk Wan Rukman Wan Hassan said the four men from Selangor were arrested by a police team from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department, Terengganu Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) in a raid at a house in Kuala Terengganu at 5.30pm on Wednesday (Aug 17).

He said the police also confiscated more than RM86,000 in cash and 600 cartons of contraband cigarettes estimated to be worth RM34,200.

"In a follow up raid at an apartment in Kuala Terengganu at about 11am yesterday, police also found 26 cartons of contraband cigarettes.

The four suspects, aged between 26 and 34 years, are under remand for four days starting Aug 18," he told a press conference here today.

Wan Rukman said the suspects also admitted to carrying out unlicensed money lending activities since the beginning of May and targeted small traders to offer loans.

He said further investigations also found that the 26-year-old suspect had four previous criminal records involving running illegal gambling houses and loan sharking.

He added that further investigations were ongoing. - Bernama