KUCHING: Marine police here managed to bust 20 smuggling attempts in the state between January and May of this year as part of Ops Contraband.
Sarawak Marine Police Region 5 (PPM) commander ACP Shamsol Kassim said for the same period in 2020, 27 cases which contravened the Customs Act 1967 were foiled by PPM.
He said the most common modus operandi involves transiting at sea where some contraband are brought in through the port and some go directly to private jetties along the state’s rivers.
“The largest bust was in March of this year in Sibu where approximately contraband items worth RM42 million were seized during an operation.
“This involved confiscation of cigarettes and liquor. The case is still under investigation by the Bukit Aman team,” he said during a press conference on Wednesday (May 19).
The cases are typically linked to a larger syndicate due to the rampant smuggling activities which have long existed in Sarawak and other states, he pointed out.
“That is why we go for a thorough investigation to eradicate the grassroots with the formation of a task force under Ops Contraband at the contingent level so that we can press charges through other acts and arrest the mastermind who runs these syndicates in Sarawak.”
Shamsol also explained that the Ops Contraband committee was formed at the Sarawak police contingent level led by Sarawak Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Fisol Salleh.
He said that within the committee are PPM, General Operations Force (GOF), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), Special Branch and Royal Malaysia Police Air Operation Force.
“It is indeed an aspiration of the government and the police to continuously eradicate smuggling attempts which have cost the country billions of ringgit every year,” he added.
He pointed out that smuggling activities are often carried out in view of the high demand for contraband goods such as cigarettes and liquors.
“Demand is high because the price is cheap and there is always a market especially now that the economy is not so good.
“We are still investigating and developing intelligence to see the movement from ports in Sibu, Miri and Bintulu and we will also work with the Customs Department to look into this to combat this issue in Sarawak,” he added.
