IPOH: Police have crippled a syndicate involved in the storage and distribution of smuggled cigarettes, with seizures worth about RM700,000 in raids under Ops Kontraband in Teluk Intan on Oct 18.
Hilir Perak OCPD Asst Comm Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin said a man in his 30s, believed to have acted as a transporter for the syndicate, was arrested following intelligence information.
"Following the arrest, police carried out three separate raids which led to the discovery of a large quantity of various brands of duty-unpaid cigarettes stored at several locations in Teluk Intan.
"Police seized more than 130 boxes and several sacks containing over 65,000 packets of various brands of cigarettes believed to be smuggled, with the total value of the seizures estimated at RM700,000.
"The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, while the suspect was remanded for 14 days from Oct 19 under Section 116C of the same Act,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Nov 6).
Police are tracking down the actual owner of the smuggled cigarettes as well as other members of the syndicate involved in storing and distributing the untaxed goods. — Bernama
