MIRI: The Sarawak Customs Department Kuching and Miri enforcement operation units on last Sunday afternoon (Sept 4) seized 752,000 sticks of cigarettes and 36 litres of liquor worth RM179,820 at a storage room of a house in Miri during an operation with unpaid tax worth RM516,733.44.
The cigarettes, consisting of regular white sticks, kretek (clove cigarettes) and liquors were found inside the storage room of the house during the operation which was carried out around 1.30pm.
Sarawak Customs director Mohd Nadzri Ariffin in statement released today said they believed the house is being used to hide the contrabands before distributing them to the local market in Miri.
“The value of these cigarettes and liquors are estimated to be RM179,820.00, while the duties and taxes involved are about RM516,733.44,” he said.
The total value of the confiscated contraband including taxes amounted to RM696,553.44.
On another note, he disclosed, for this year, a total 9,926,756 stick of cigarettes and 27,437.74 litres of liquors were seized by Sarawak Customs Department worth at RM2,237,292.30, while the total of duties and tax involved at RM7,251,475.13.
The case is being investigated under Section 135 (1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, which carries a fine not less than 10 times the value of items or RM100,000 (whichever is higher) upon conviction.
The Act also states a fine not less than 20 times the value of items or RM500,000 (whichever is higher) or imprisonment no less than six months and no more than five years, or both.
