Sarawak Customs Dept seizes 10 luxury vehicles, total seizure valued at RM8.12 mln

KUCHING (Sept 14): The Royal Malaysian Customs Department Sarawak seized 10 luxury vehicles of various foreign brands in Kuching.

In a statement, Sarawak Customs director Norizan Yahya said a raid was conducted at a premises on Sept 2, where all the vehicles were parked.

“During the inspection, 10 luxury vehicles of various brands were found to be not complying with the conditions stipulated under Section 75(b) of the Customs Act 1967,” he said.

The total value of the vehicles seized amounted to RM8,129,825, including unpaid taxes and duty amounting to RM4,984,825.

“The modus operandi of the company was to move the vehicles that have yet to be cleared by the Customs Department to be parked at an unlicensed premises or warehouse, which is an offence under Section 65 of the Customs Act 1967.

“The case is being investigated under Section 138 of the Customs Act 1967 and Section 75(b) of the same Act, which carries a fine of not over RM50,000 or a jail sentence of not over five years or both,” he said.

On a separate matter, Norizan said Sarawak Customs is also actively carrying out enforcement actions to combat smuggling of cigarettes and hard liquor.

He said between July and August this year, the department seized a total of 2,429,728 sticks of cigarettes with value amounting to RM2,111,602.87, inclusive of taxes and duty, and RM920,292.57 worth of hard liquor.

He encouraged the public to be the eyes and ears of the department by reporting any smuggling activities via contacting the toll-free line at 1-800-88-8855 or visiting the nearest Customs office.