IPOH: Police have arrested a 52-year-old man and seized 102 cartons of suspected smuggled cigarettes during an operation in Bidor.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said a team from Battalion 3's Intelligence/Task Force Unit in Bidor detained the suspect at about 8.15pm on Tuesday (Sept 29).
"Checks on the vehicle uncovered 102 cartons of cigarettes suspected to be illicit, comprising Canyon Signature, Suria Gudang Garam 12 and Nusantara Gudang Garam brands," Mohd Alwi said in a statement on Wednesday (Sept 30).
He added that police also seized the suspect's white saloon car along Jalan Sungkai in Taman Aman, with the total value of the confiscated items currently being evaluated.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect admitted to possessing and selling contraband cigarettes, an activity he had allegedly been operating for three years.
The suspect claimed he obtained weekly supplies from a local supplier before distributing them to small traders in surrounding areas.
He has been remanded for four days from Sept 29 to Oct 2 to assist in investigations under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
Mohd Alwi noted that cigarette samples would be sent to the Chemistry Department for testing, while police continue tracking down the supply chain and distribution network.
