KUCHING: A total of 4,878.72 litres of liquor were seized in a raid last Saturday. The estimated value was RM20,972.76 and the estimated Customs duty was RM75,886.91.
The Customs Department through its local enforcement division in cooperation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raided a locked premises suspected of storing illegal liquor in Jalan Kuap.
Acting on tip-off, a team of Customs officers went to the warehouse which had no business signage on it, probably because the owner wanted to elude detection.
When the owner could not be located, the team forced open the building and inside they found the liquor.
All of the items were confiscated for further investigation.
The case will be investigated under Section 135 (1) (d) of the Customs Act 1967.
If convicted, the offender would be fined not less than 10 times the amount of the unpaid Customs duty or RM100,000, whichever is greater, and not exceeding 20 times the value of the Customs duty or RM500,000, whichever is greater. Imprisonment is not less than six months and not more than five years, or both.
Customs called upon the public to cooperate by channelling information on smuggling of illegal items such as cigarettes, liquor, firearms and drugs by contacting Customs Toll Free Line at 1-800-88-8855, the public complaints website at http://aduan.customs.gov.my or the closest Customs Office in all states.
Customs also guaranteed that the identity of each informant is kept confidential.
