SIBU: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) enforcement division in Sibu seized 1,200 sacks of Thai white rice with an estimated value of RM258,000, including unpaid duties.
State Customs director Datuk Sharifah Halimah Tuanku Taha said based on a tip off, a team of enforcement officers raided a factory at Upper Lanang Road here at 10am on Wednesday (Nov 27).
The rice was found after investigating three 20-foot containers, she said in a statement issued yesterday.
“Efforts to identify the owners of the containers were unsuccessful as nobody claimed responsibility,” she said.
Thus, Sharifah said that the three containers were brought to the Customs Enforcement store in Sibu for further investigation.
According to her, rice smuggling is one of the most common activities in Sarawak due to the high demand for imported rice based on price.
“Rice that is brought in illegally is cheaper compared to the market price, although the quality is the same,” she said.
Sharifah said the smugglers’ modus operandi was to store the rice an open area before being sent to distributors or wholesalers.
“This is to prevent the individual or importer from being detained when enforcers carry out raids and seizures,” she said.
She said that the Intelligence Branch had conducted monitoring operations in various ‘hot spots’ all over Sarawak, determining one location used as temporary storage for rice with unpaid customs before it was sent to distributors.
She said that the case will be investigated under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967, whereby if convicted, the offender will be fined ten times the value of the goods seized or RM100,000, or a jail term of not less than six months and not more than five years, or both.
Sharifah also urged the public to cooperate by providing information on any illegal smuggling activities such as cigarettes, alcohol, firecrackers, and drugs by contacting the Customs Toll-Free Line (1-800-88-8855).
Alternatively, reports can be made via the public complaints website (http://aduan.customs.gov.my) or at the closest Customs Office in all states. All reports made are guaranteed confidential by JKDM.
