Major Customs seizure in Sibu: RM5.126 mln in undeclared goods

Norizan (second from left) and his officers hold up a portion of the seized items.

SIBU, May 17: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) Sibu has seized RM5.126 million worth of undeclared goods, including unpaid taxes, from January to May 10 this year.

The items seized include cigarettes, liquor, drugs, and other goods for which customs duties had not been paid.

“The success was achieved through 55 cases with total goods seized amounting to RM2.7 million and involving RM2.4 million in unpaid taxes,” said JKDM Sarawak director Norizan Yahya at a press conference today.

There were 39 arrests made in 39 of the 55 cases.

On May 7, JKDM Sibu seized a total of 2.1 million sticks of cigarettes and 1,837 liters of liquor worth RM763,874.

The seizure involved unpaid duties and taxes amounting to RM2,274,537.

The seizure was made at an unoccupied building in Lorong Tunku Abdul Rahman.

“There were no arrests made as, after waiting for three hours, nobody came forward to claim them. We are still investigating who owns the building,” Norizan said.

The modus operandi, he explained, was to hide and store the undeclared goods in an unoccupied building to avoid detection by authorities before distributing them to the local market.

The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967, which provides for a fine of 10 times the value of the goods or RM100,000, or imprisonment for not less than six months and not exceeding five years, or both, if convicted.

“JKDM Sibu has also foiled six cases of smuggling 46.88 kg of methamphetamine, ketamine, and cannabis drugs worth RM1.5 million via air transport during the same period,” Norizan added.

He also revealed nine cases involving RM367,306 worth of goods at Rejang Port Authority that were not properly declared.

Additionally, there was one case involving a Brunei-registered car that abused the tax exemption facility under the Customs Duty Order (Exemption) 2017, with taxes amounting to RM44,537.

Norizan called on the public to provide information on smuggling activities by calling the department’s toll-free number at 1-800-88-8855. — DayakDaily