KLANG: A total of 12 million white cigarettes with an estimated value and duty amounting to RM9.3mil were seized by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department following the detention of two containers in Port Klang on Dec 14 and Dec 29.

       The Customs Department Central Zone assistant director-general Norlela Ismail said that the modus operandi of both syndicates involved falsely declaring the goods to avoid detection by Customs officials.

       "Both containers are believed to have been imported from China, with Malaysia being the final destination," she said during a press conference on Thursday (Jan 18).

       In another development, Norlela said the Customs Department Central Zone's enforcement team also detained four containers at the same port from Dec 20, 2023, to Jan 4, 2024, and seized 6,365 litres of liquor with an estimated duty value of RM1.06mil.

       She said all the containers carrying mixed merchandise from China had been scanned using a container scanning machine. The resulting images were suspicious and inconsistent with the stated merchandise descriptions.

       She said following an inspection of the containers, enforcement officers found a quantity of liquor believed to be without an import permit hidden behind the mixed goods.

       She added that all three cases were being investigated under the Customs Act 1967.

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       Meanwhile, Norlela said a seizure was made involving 90,400 sticks of white cigarettes with an estimated value and duty of RM67,000.

       The seizure resulted from a raid on a vehicle and a residential premises in Batu Caves on Jan 8, she said, adding that a local woman was detained to assist investigations. – Bernama