In Negeri Sembilan, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department made its largest haul of illicit cigarettes in the state this year when it seized almost RM9 million sticks from a vessel at a private jetty in Port Dickson on July 10th following the arrest of 16 people for alleged involvement with the syndicate.
The cigarettes seized worth approximately RM7 million.
During the raid at 12.30 am, half of the contraband cigarettes were already in a lorry and the other half were still in the 35-metre long vessel.
The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
Offenders can be fined between 10 times and 20 times the value of the goods and jailed up to three years or both upon conviction.
The 16 individuals, including nine foreigners have been charged at the Port Dickson Magistrate's Court on monday.
(Soundbite of Datuk Zulkifli Yahya / Deputy Director-general (enforcement And Compliance), Royal Malaysians Customs Department
Subtitle:
The vessel had the permission to travel from Jurong, Singapore to Medan, Indonesia, before it changed its route by stopping at the private jetty in Negeri Sembilan to smuggle in the cigarettes.
