KUALA TERENGGANU – The Region Three Marine Police Force detained a man and seized 17,000 cartons of smuggled cigarettes and a lorry, with an estimated combined worth of RM2.5 million in Kg Tepoh at Batu Rakit near Kuala Nerus today.
Its deputy commander Mohd Razlin Abdul Manaf said the man, 30, was arrested at around 8.15am at the roadside of Kg Tepoh by an officer and eight personnel.
“The officer and personnel were out on patrol following a targeted lorry. When the suspect realised police were there, he accelerated in defiance of police orders to stop the vehicle.
“A 30-minute chase then ensued between the suspect and the police and when the suspect neared a traffic light intersection at Kg Tepoh, he stopped the lorry at the side of the road and ran away, but he was apprehended,” he told a media conference today.
An inspection of the lorry revealed 340 boxes filled with 17,000 cartons of John brand cigarettes.
“Police believe that a syndicate that has been operating for a year or two was behind the smuggling and that the cigarettes were destined for sale around Kuala Terengganu.
“We are also looking for the suspect’s associates,” he said, adding that the investigation would be conducted under the Customs Act 1967. – Bernama, December 31, 2020
