KUALA TERENGANU: Terengganu Customs Department uncovered a cigarette smuggling syndicate following the discovery of a van loaded with 1.2 million sticks of cigarettes in Kampung Petaling, Kuala Nerus. Its director Aidid Tajuddin said further inspection on the abandoned one-tonne van at 10am Tuesday led to the discovery of 6,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes bearing the brands ”Red” and ”Green League” worth RM864,960 including taxes. He said the seizure came after the department’s enforcement team gave a five-kilometre high-speed chase following surveillance over the past two weeks. “The van driver managed to escape upon realising the presence of the authorities. We believe the driver was in hiding for several days at the border before continuing (his) journey,” Aidid told a press conference Wednesday. He said the team had initially detected the van last Friday but the driver managed to go into hiding.
Aidid said the modus operandi used was different from before, namely embarking on the journey at night so that the supply would arrive in the wee hours of the morning and using the East Coast Highway (LPT) as a shortcut rather than other alternative routes. “We believe all the cigarettes were obtained from a neighbouring country to be marketed in the south. There is no manufacturing date on the packs. We’re closing in on the driver and initial investigation revealed that the van is registered under a company,” he said.
