MIRI: Enforcement officers seized contrabands comprising cigarettes and liquors from a premises here on Monday.
Sarawak Customs director Datuk Sharifah Halimah Tuanku Taha, in a press statement yesterday, said a lorry used in transporting the contrabands was also seized from the premises. The premises owner was arrested and is being investigated for tax evasion.
Sharifah Halimah said enforcement officers from the Miri Customs Department conducted the raid after receiving information that the premises in Bandar Baru Permyjaya here was used for keeping liquor and cigarettes for which taxes were not paid.
She said the estimated value of the seized items was RM 10,559 and the total tax payable was RM 58,510.
In a separate case, Customs enforcement officers also seized a lorry that was parked at a parking lot near a shop house here.
The lorry was carrying uncustomed goods comprising a total of 631,360 cigarette packs and 6,655.25 litres of various brands of liquor worth RM154,739 while unpaid taxes were valued at RM 661,992.
The case is being investigated under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967; if found guilty, offenders can be fined ten times the value of the goods or RM100,000 or jailed not less than six months and not more than five years or both.
The Customs Department calls on members of the public to cooperate by channelling information on any smuggling activities such as cigarettes, liquors, fireworks and drugs by contacting the Toll Free Customs Hotline 1-800-88-8855, online complain through http://aduan.customs.gov.my or the nearest customs office.
