JOHOR BARU: Police have seized beer and liquor of various brands in an operation at a housing area in Taman Mount Austin here, which led to the arrest of a local man.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said they had successfully disrupted the storage and distribution of untaxed alcoholic beverages in the district.
“Following cooperation with Bukit Aman and based on intelligence and public information, we raided a double-storey terrace house at around 10.30am on Wednesday (May 7).
“The raid led to the arrest of a 36-year-old trader at the scene.
"Checks of the premises and two multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) found 180 cartons of beer as well as 35 boxes of beer and liquor bottles,” he told a press conference at district police headquarters here on Tuesday (May 13).
He added that the total value of the seized contraband, together with the two MPVs, was estimated to be over RM316,000.
“Further checks on the two MPVs revealed that the vehicles had been fitted with fake number plates to hide the illegal activity.
“Initial investigation found that the suspect has been buying the alcohol at the Forest City duty-free zone and smuggling it out before selling it at market price to businesses and individuals here,” he said.
ACP Raub added that the suspect has been remanded to help with investigations under Section 135(1)(D) of the Customs Act 1967 and Section 108(3)(F) of the Road Transport Act 1987.