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KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police believe they have crippled a smuggling ring with the seizure of illicit cigarettes worth some RM250,000 at a house in Penampang near here.
A team from the Sabah Criminal Investigation Department (CID) special investigation (D9) unit also detained two men at the house in Taman Oriental.
Sabah CID chief Senior Asst Comm Azmi Abd Rahim said his team stormed the premises following a tip-off at 6.20am on Friday.
“After checking the house, we found 445 boxes which contained 1,132,800 cigarettes sticks,” he said yesterday.
“We estimate the contraband items to be worth about RM250,000.”
He said the men detained included the 48-year-old houseowner and his Filipino worker aged 26.
“We believe the house was used to keep the illicit cigarettes.
“Following questioning, we also found the cigarettes were sourced from the Sarawak border town of Lawas and Labuan, among others,” said SAC Azmi.
He said the suspects would stash the items at the house before distributing them for sale at the Sabah capital.
“Investigations are on-going to identify other people involved in the activity,” he said, adding the probe was classified under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
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