Malaysian Customs Seize 6.51 Million Smuggled Cigarettes

According to a report from KOSMOONLINE in Malaysia, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in the state of Negeri Sembilan has intercepted 6.51 million smuggled cigarette sticks in an attempt to evade taxes.

Good news has been announced by the Director of the Royal Customs Department in Negeri Sembilan State, Mohammad Hafiz Ishak. He stated that this seizure is the largest by the Malaysian Royal Customs Department this year, involving cigarettes worth over 500,000 ringgit (approximately 760,000 yuan or 5.2 million ringgit in evaded taxes).

Mohammad Hafiz Ishak, a spokesperson, has provided details regarding the recent apprehension of two trucks. The interception of these vehicles took place at different locations along the northern expressway between 1 pm and 4:30 pm on November 15th.

Customs officers from the Royal Customs Department stationed in the state of Selangor discovered a total of 298 boxes containing 14,900 cartons of cigarettes in the first truck, all of which were affixed with counterfeit tax labels. In the second truck, they found 353 boxes filled with 17,650 cartons of cigarettes, none of which had any tax labels attached.

He added that all these cigarettes are suspected to be in violation of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Third Schedule of the 2023 Customs (Import Prohibition) Regulations, which prohibits the illegal importation of goods. Following this, his department has seized all the cigarettes, two trucks, and the male driver, who is also a local resident, estimated to be around 30 years old.