KUCHING: Cigarettes of various brands with no customs clearance were seized by the Enforcement Division of the Miri Customs Department.
The seizure of 308,000 cigarettes of various brands stored in a four-wheel-drive vehicle at a house car porch valued at RM27,160 with unpaid duties of RM225,523.20 was made during an inspection in Bandar Baru Permyjaya on Tuesday at 9am.
“A suspect managed to escape after seeing the presence of the enforcement team,” state Customs director Datuk Sharifah Halimah Tuanku Taha said in a statement on Thursday.
She added the case is being investigated under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967. An offender, upon conviction is liable to be fined not less than 10 times the amount of customs duty or RM100,000 whichever is higher up to not more than 20 times the amount of customs duty or RM500,000 whichever is higher or not more than five years jail or both.
The Customs Department said it welcomes information from anyone on any party, including traders who store or sell illegal cigarettes, liquor, firecrackers and drugs.
Kindly contact the Customs toll-free line 1-800-88-8855 or Sarawak Customs headquarters at 082-472133 or any nearby Customs office.
