MELAKA: The Melaka Customs Department thwarted an attempt to smuggle various goods including rice, with a total value estimated at RM6.54 million for the period from January to April this year.
Its director, Nadzri Che Ani said his department seized 28 containers holding 623,000kg of rice, estimated to be worth RM5.23mil including tax duty, at Port Klang, Selangor on Jan 20 and Feb 6.
"A check on Customs Form 1 found that the goods were declared as 'sodium chloride' (salt) and the inspection found that each container held a total of 70 sacks of white powder (salt) and 445 sacks of rice.
"The sacks containing rice were fraudulently hidden at the back and the sacks of salt were placed at the front of the container door," he said at a press conference here on Friday (June 13).
Elaborating further, Nadzri said that the goods were likely imported from India for the local market and the owner of the importer company and shipping agent were detained for further investigation.
He stated that rice is classified as a prohibited item under Item 25, Third Schedule/Part 1 of the Customs (Prohibition on Imports) Order 2023 and the case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967.
Meanwhile, he said the department also seized liquor, worth RM499,621 including duty, in raids at two locations on March 7 and April 11 in Johor Baru.
"In the operation, a total of 8,585 litres of liquor were seized from three multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs). A physical inspection of the seized goods showed that the liquor had a 'Malaysian Duty Not Paid' status and was an abuse of the exemption given in the (Forest City) duty-free island area," he said.
Meanwhile, Nadzri said his party also seized a total of 1.1 million cigarettes, worth RM822,800 including duties, in Muar, Johor on April 5, which were stored in an unoccupied warehouse in a durian orchard.
He said the offences in all three cases are being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
"We also call on the public to cooperate by providing information regarding any smuggling activities by contacting the Customs toll-free line number at 1-800-88-8855 or the nearest Customs office in all states," he said.- Bernama
