According to Malaysian media SinaHarian, on May 7th, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) successfully foiled 15 attempts to smuggle cigarettes worth over 500,000 ringgit to third countries. Deputy director of the Royal Customs Department, Norlela Ismail, stated that these smuggling activities were mainly orchestrated by locals, who attempted to smuggle the cigarettes out through packages in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport free trade zone or air cargo companies.
According to Nurlela, they have successfully seized 786,800 various brands of cigarettes during inspections in the free trade zone, with an estimated total amount of customs duties and taxes reaching 527,124 Ringgit. He also stated that these cigarettes were intended to be smuggled into a third country after passing through Malaysia.
The tactics of these cigarette smuggling groups involve transporting small quantities of cigarettes across borders, concealing them in boxes or packages to avoid detection. The cigarettes are then sent through courier or air freight companies using false sender names and addresses to disguise the shipments.
Due to the false and incomplete information provided, the Royal Customs Bureau was unable to take any arrest actions," Nurleila said at a press conference. Additionally, the individuals found with the seized cigarettes were also discovered to not have affixed tax stamps, nor did they have the government's health warning signs.
The most recent raid occurred on April 15th when law enforcement department LTAKL in the city center seized and confiscated 200,000 cigarettes. In addition, they successfully arrested two men from South Asia, who were attempting to smuggle 85.2 kilograms of chewing tobacco into the country. The two suspects, both in their thirties, were carrying three pieces of luggage containing the chewing tobacco. Despite a thorough inspection revealing the items to be chewing tobacco, the suspects could not provide valid import permits.
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