KUALA LUMPUR: More than RM12mil worth of smuggled cigarettes and alcoholic beverages have been seized following raids in eleven states.
The operation, codenamed "Ops Kontraban Mega 1.0", was conducted by the Bukit Aman internal security and public order department's (KDNKA) General Operations Force (GOF) and the Customs Department on Aug 26 and 27.
Raids were conducted on 174 premises in Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu, Kelantan and Sarawak.
Bukit Aman KDNKA deputy director Comm Datuk Fisol Salleh said 195 individuals were detained, comprising 161 men and 34 women aged from 18 to 72.
"Those detained were 127 Malaysians and 68 foreigners from various countries, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
"The suspects detained have been remanded for further investigation.
"We are investigating the suspects for various offences including selling contraband items.
"The foreigners are also being investigated for immigration offences including overstaying and lack of proper travel documents," he told reporters at Bukit Aman on Friday (Aug 29).
Comm Fisol said the goods seized were valued at about RM12.2mil.
"Some 4.5 million sticks of cigarettes along with 103,407 litres of alcoholic beverages were seized," he added.
The team also seized RM841,329 worth of vehicles, cooking oil, fireworks and mobile phones, he said.
There were 983 officers and personnel involved in the operation, mostly from the GOF.
Meanwhile, Comm Fisol said the operation to combat contraband smuggling started early this year.
"Between Jan 1 and Aug 27, 2025, RM232.59mil worth of smuggled items have been seized and 648 individuals detained.
"The strategic cooperation between the police and the Customs is designed to ensure the safety of the country and public order.
"We will also step up our intelligence gathering and sharing to weed out smuggling syndicates," he said.
