JOHOR BARU: The Customs Department has thwarted an attempt to smuggle plywood and more than six million cigarettes through Tanjung Pelepas Port here with unpaid duties and taxes amounting to RM6.22mil.
Johor Customs director Aminul Izmeer Mohd Sohaimi said the operation was carried out by a team from the department’s Container Control Unit at the Gelang Patah enforcement station at around 2.20pm on March 5.
“The team inspected a 40-foot container at the Customs inspection bay and found 444 pieces of plywood as well as the cigarettes, all prohibited items,” he said in a statement on Friday (March 21).
He said initial investigations found that the items had been declared as “other plywood, consisting solely of sheets of wood” in the Customs Form 6, transshipment manifest, and bill of lading.
Aminul Izmeer said that under the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 2023, full container loads of cigarettes for transshipment do not require an import permit from the Customs director-general.
“However, plywood requires a permit from the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB), and in this case, both the plywood and the cigarettes did not have the necessary import permits,” he said.
He added that the seized plywood was valued at RM22,200 with duties amounting to RM7,700, while the contraband cigarettes were worth RM1.61mil, with unpaid duties totalling RM4.58mil.
The case is being investigated under Section 133(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967 for making a false declaration. If convicted, the offender can be fined up to RM500,000, jailed for up to seven years, or both.
Aminul Izmeer also urged the public to report smuggling activities involving cigarettes, alcohol, fireworks, drugs, vehicles, and other prohibited items by calling the Customs toll-free line at 1-800-88-8855 or contacting the nearest Customs office.
“The department assures that the identity of informants will be kept confidential,” he said.
