BUTTERWORTH: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Penang has successfully foiled 240 smuggling and customs duty evasion attempts between January and August, resulting in seizures valued at over RM28mil, including duties.
State Customs director Datuk Roselan Ramli said that cigarettes topped the list with 107 cases, amounting to RM2.7mil in goods and RM9.28mil in duties.
He added that there were 81 cases involving liquor amounting to RM1.739mil, with RM6.64mil in duties.
"We also seized RM1.013mil worth of drugs in four cases and uncovered 39 vehicle-related cases, with seizures valued at RM1.664mil and RM2.56mil in taxes," he said during a press conference on Friday (Sept 27) at the Enforcement Storage Facility in Bagan Jermal.
Roselan noted that four currency smuggling cases were also intercepted, valued at RM473,971.69, and other cases involving tobacco and soft drinks, valued at RM1.68mil, including RM704,992.73 in taxes.
Meanwhile, he appealed for information to locate an Indian national, Mohamed Basith Mohamed Rafi, 42, who failed to appear in court for a case related to the possession of 178,000 white cigarette sticks valued at RM133,148.40, including customs duties.
He said the accused, who entered Malaysia in 2017 as a construction worker, was charged in 2021 and temporarily released on bail but failed to attend court on three occasions for the scheduled verdict of the case.
"The magistrate sentenced the accused to 28 months in prison for both charges under Section 425A of the Criminal Procedure Code and ordered the forfeiture of bail from the two guarantors," he said.
Roselan added that the individual is still believed to be in the country, as his passport remains in the court's possession.
Anyone with information about the individual is urged to contact the investigating officer, Customs Supt Yusof Mohamed Salleh, at 013-534 1032. – Bernama
