CUSTOMS Department central zone assistant director-general Norlela Ismail said 12 million white cigarettes with an estimated value and duty amounting to RM9.3 million were seized following the detention of two containers in Port Klang on December 14 and December 29.

She said that the modus operandi of both syndicates involved falsely declaring the goods to avoid detection by Customs officials.

“Both containers are believed to have been imported from China, with Malaysia being the final destination,” she said during a press conference in Klang today.

In another development, Norlela said the Department’s central zone enforcement team also detained four containers at the same port from December 20, 2023, to January 4, 2024, and seized 6,365 litres of liquor with an estimated duty value of RM1.06 million.

She said all the containers carrying mixed merchandise from China had been scanned and revealed images that were suspicious and inconsistent with the stated merchandise descriptions.

She said following an inspection, enforcement officers found a quantity of liquor believed to be without an import permit hidden behind the mixed goods.

She added that all three cases were being investigated under the Customs Act 1967.

Meanwhile, Norlela said a seizure was made involving 90,400 sticks of white cigarettes with an estimated value and duty of RM67,000.

The seizure resulted from a raid on a vehicle and a residential premises in Batu Caves on January 8, she said, adding that a local woman was detained to assist investigations.

White cigarettes are cigarettes manufactured by legitimate businesses with a large share of the production being sold without all applicable duties paid, usually outside the jurisdiction where they are produced. – Bernama, January 18, 2024.