A TOTAL of RM45 million worth of illegal alcohol and cigarettes were seized in Sarawak during the first week of this year.
Of this amount, RM 34 million worth was seized in Kuching alone over the past two days.
The General Operations Force led raids in various locations throughout the state, assisted by other enforcement agencies in a special operation codenamed Ops Taring Alpha.
Sarawak General Operations Force commander Che Ghazali Che Awang said tonnes of alcoholic beverages along with tens of thousands of cartons of cigarettes have been seized.
"From Jan 1 to 6, we carried out a series of raids in numerous locations and made a total of 22 arrests.
"The suspects were found in premises used as centres to store these illicit goods," he said.
Those arrested are locals and a foreigner, he said.
The cases are being investigated under the Customs Act 1965.
The authorities are also probing how these items were smuggled into the state and their places of origin. - January 8, 2025
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