KUCHING: Sarawak Region 5 Marine Police (PPM) have thwarted an attempt by smugglers to bring in RM4.125 million worth of contraband cigarettes into Kuching on Wednesday (May 19).
Its commander ACP Shamsol Kassim said a team led by an officer and five members of the Marine Intelligence Unit detained a 10-tonne lorry carrying a load covered with a dark green canvas at Jalan Serian-Sri Aman near the Jalan Gedong junction at around 5.30am.
He said the lorry was making its way towards Kuching from Bintulu.
“The results of the inspection have found a number of boxes believed to contain cigarettes with unpaid duties. The lorry driver also failed to provide valid documents for the cigarettes,” he told a press conference today.
Shamsol said the team seized 575 boxes of contraband cigarettes along with the lorry used to transport the illicit goods, bringing the total amount of seizures to RM4.312 million.
The lorry driver, who is a local man, was also arrested.
According to Shamsol, the driver had a legitimate inter-district travel permit approved by the Bintulu police.
“Many permits were applied for the delivery of essential goods. So, it is possible that the driver abused the permit for smuggling purposes.
“The case was handed over to the investigating officer of the Criminal Investigation Division of Serian district police headquarters and will be investigated under the Customs Act 1967,” added Shamsol.
