PASIR GUDANG: The marine police have successfully clamped down on a syndicate smuggling cigarettes, confiscating over RM5.39mil worth of contraband during a raid here.
Johor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Kamarul Zaman Mamat said that a team of officers in three patrolling boats raided the suspects’ hideout on a vessel at around 11pm at the Sungai Kong Kong (Dapur Arang) private jetty here on Friday night.
“We acted upon receiving information from members of the public and caught five Indonesian crew members and four Malaysians within half-an-hour at the scene.
The suspects were attempting to load boxes, containing 500 cigarette packets each, into an eight-tonne lorry from the vessel,” he said during a press conference at the jetty here yesterday.
SAC Kamarul said that some 535,000 packets of JM9 and Luffman 20-stick cigarette packets, packed in 1,070 boxes, were found, including 369 boxes already loaded onto the lorry.
Johor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Kamarul Zaman Mamat (middle) together with Marine police Southern Region II commander Asst Comm Paul Kiu Khon Chiang (left) inspecting the contraband cigarettes that were confiscated following a raid at Sungai Kong Kong (Dapur Arang) private jetty on Jan 9, 2016.
Crime up in smoke: Comm Kamarul (middle) together with ACP Paul Kiu Khon Chiang (left) inspecting the contraband cigarettes that were confiscated after a raid at the Sungai Kong Kong (Dapur Arang) private jetty.
He added that backup from the state Criminal Investigation Department were deployed after they received several threats from tonto roaming around the area in at least two cars to cart away the goods.
SAC Kamarul said that the goods on the foreign-registered LCT Sulaiman vessel, could have easily filled three loads of eight-tonne lorries.
“Some of the packets had warning labels on them similar to the cigarette boxes in Malaysia. We are investigating if the contraband goods were made in Malaysia,” he said adding that the vessel and lorry have also been seized.
He also added that those detained were aged between 25 and 48 years, would be investigated under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967 for smuggling taxable goods.
