KUALA LUMPUR – Criminal syndicates are aggressively enticing people in rural communities afflicted by financial hardship during the current pandemic-related economic downturn to become accomplices in the illegal smuggling logistics chain, criminologist Datuk Seri Akhbar Satar warned today.
The founder and president of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE) Malaysian chapter said some of the criminals even pose as “white knights”, contributing generously to renovate places of worship or building public facilities to win hearts and minds.
“It is not surprising that, because of this, fishermen and farmers would rather smuggle cigarettes than tend to their vocation,” Akhbar said.
“Clearly, the Covid-19 pandemic and series of movement control orders (MCOs) have impacted the livelihoods of those in rural communities. Taking advantage of this situation, criminal syndicates are tempting these villagers to play a part in their illegal smuggling logistics chain.”
He stressed that criminal syndicates are, in particular, changing their modus operandi to coastal areas.
Akhbar said this in a statement following a series of reports on illegal cigarette-smuggling activities taking place in rural communities along Malaysia’s coastlines.
On June 14, Johor police had reported the arrest of three tour boat operators found allegedly smuggling contraband cigarettes during a raid at a jetty in Endau. The total seizure, including 930 cigarette packs of various brands from Vietnam and Indonesia, was worth RM9.32 million.
Akhbar, the immediate former Transparency International Malaysia president, now holds the professorial chair with HELP University's Institute of Crime and Criminology (ICC).
He said some greedy and unethical law enforcement officers have also fallen prey to illicit schemes.
“Smuggling syndicates either bribe or threaten enforcement personnel stationed in rural areas to turn a blind eye to their activities,” he said.
“If not stopped immediately, this dangerous ecosystem can pose a serious threat to the socio-economic fabric of our rural communities.”
Akhbar noted that the government has taken a series of measures to curtail the illegal cigarette trade, including in Budget 2021.
These include limiting transhipment of cigarettes to dedicated ports, imposing tax on the import of cigarettes with drawback facilities for re-export and disallowing the re-export of cigarettes by small boats.
However, these restrictions have forced the syndicates to focus on smuggling through coastal areas instead of ports, he said.
“Budget 2021 measures are working to a certain extent. The government must be steadfast in implementing them stringently as some quarters are pushing for a relaxation of selected controls, especially those related to transhipment. There is no reason to relax the controls on transhipment.
“The government has also strengthened enforcement along the country’s borders, especially in areas where there is a risk of having rat lanes. However, joint intelligence and operations have to be carried out sincerely and truthfully for the nation without any hidden agenda.
“In addition to increasing patrol and vigilance, law enforcement personnel must also be equipped with technology, improve its intelligence-gathering capabilities, continuously conduct operations and closely monitored, with a periodic rotation system in place, as a way to reduce the temptation for corruption,” he added.
Akhbar said the price difference between illegal and legal cigarettes must also be addressed effectively as this is one of the key factors in the consistent smuggling activites. – The Vibes, June 23, 2021
