A 20-FOOT container, oddly parked in an industrial estate in the northern Sarawak town of Miri, was seized by the Customs Department last Wednesday on suspicion of containing contraband.
Sarawak Customs Director Norizan Yahya, in a statement today, said the manner in which the container was placed had raised suspicions among the department's ground operations unit, which was combing the Eastwood industrial area for smuggling activities.
She said it bore all the hallmarks of smuggling syndicates' modus operandi, where containers with contraband are placed in open areas to avoid raising suspicion. However, the tactic backfired as the container attracted the attention of officers, given that it was not parked near any premises and was left in an open "no man's land" next to a Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation substation.
Upon inspection, the container was found to be loaded with various brands of cigarettes, which the department believes were smuggled into the state without the excise duty being paid. Norizan stated that the unpaid duty is estimated to be around RM730,888.
Several workers in the area who were questioned claimed to be unaware of the container's ownership. The container held over 1.09 million sticks of cigarettes, including the popular Indonesian 'kretek' variety, with an estimated street value of around RM111,324.
The seizure is now under investigation under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967. If the owner or owners of the container and contraband are found and convicted, they could face a fine of up to RM500,000, a jail term of up to five years, or both. – August 22, 2024.
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