LABUAN – Sabah police have identified at least three major smuggling syndicates actively running the illicit activity from the duty-free island of Labuan to the Sabah mainland.
Sabah police chief Datuk Hazani Ghazali said one of the syndicates was crippled last week.
He said the smuggling racket from Labuan has gradually evolved and become a serious issue.
“The syndicates smuggle cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and chicken wings from the duty-free island here to the mainland.
“The cigarettes and alcoholic beverages smuggled to the Sabah mainland are for markets in rural areas. It is only a matter of time before we capture the masterminds,” he said at a press conference here today.
With the new government’s ruling coming into effect on January 1, cigarettes will be subject to taxes at all duty-free islands and zones.
The move, a measure under the recently passed Budget 2021, is an effort to stem cigarette-smuggling activities, said to be rampant at duty-free islands and zones.
“But the smuggling of alcoholic beverage to the Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei mainland needs to be addressed, too,” he said.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said cigarettes are one of the most smuggled items in the country. – Bernama, December 28, 2020
