Army scuppers bid to smuggle RM95,000 worth of ciggies out to Indonesia

KUCHING (May 14): The Malaysian Army on Monday foiled an attempt by a local man to smuggle cigarettes worth about RM95,000 out to Indonesia.

The Malaysian First Infantry Division said an enforcement team conducting patrols at the Tebedu Military Joint Post spotted a van heading towards Indonesia around 10.30pm.

After intercepting the vehicle approximately 900 metres from the border, the team carried out an inspection and discovered 1,500 cartons of cigarettes.

“The haul consisted of 30 large boxes, each containing 50 cartons of various cigarette brands, estimated to be worth RM95,000,” the First Infantry Division said in a statement.

The driver, along with the van and goods, were taken to the Tebedu police station for further action.

First Division commander Maj Gen Datuk Mohamed Fauzi Kamis commended his men for successfully stopping the smuggling of goods across the border.

“Such operations will continue around the clock to combat the smuggling of goods and border incursions into the neighboring country,” he said in the statement.