By Balqis Jazimah Zahari
A house in Bandar Universiti, Seri Iskandar was used to store contraband cigarettes. This was exposed after a raid was conducted this Friday and hundreds of boxes containing an estimated 11,550 cartons of contraband cigarettes worth RM184,800 were found.
Perak Police Chief, Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said, as the result of public information, a team of police officers from the Marine Police Force (PPM) of Kampung Acheh, Sitiawan and the Central Perak District Police Headquarters conducted a contraband operation related to cigarette smuggling at about 7.10 pm.
“While on Jalan Ipoh – Lumut, the team spotted a silver Proton Exora car in a suspicious condition.
“The team followed the vehicle until it stopped in front of a house believed to be used as a store for contraband cigarettes,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Mohd Yusri said the suspect entered the house and took out several large boxes and then put them in the car.
“The team raided and searched the vehicle and the house. The results of the search found a large number of boxes containing various types of cigarettes believed to be smuggled cigarettes without customs duty.
“The types of cigarettes seized were Canyon, Paradox, Zon King and John, totalling 231 large boxes with an estimated 11,550 cartons of cigarettes worth RM184,800 with an estimated customs tax value of RM1.5 million,” he said.
He said the raid also confiscated a Proton Exora 1.6 cc vehicle and Huawei and Oppo a5 mobile phones as well as other related items.
According to him, following that, the 43-year-old male suspect has been remanded from yesterday until February 17.
“The case is being investigated under Section 135 (1)(d) Customs Act 1967, which can be fined not less than ten times the value of the goods or RM100, 000 and not more than twenty times the value of the goods or RM500,000 or imprisonment for up to five years or both.
“Further investigations are still being carried out to identify the cigarette smuggling syndicate in the state of Perak. People who have information related to cigarette smuggling activities are asked to pass it on to the police,” he said.
