Negeri Sembilan Customs seizes RM4mil in duty-evading goods
Two separate raids on July 1 netted electronics, vehicle parts and liquor worth RM4.67 million, with duties and taxes estimated at RM7.6 million.
SEREMBAN: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) Negeri Sembilan has broken up smuggling activities involving electronic goods, vehicle spare parts and liquor in two separate raids on July 1, with total seizures estimated at RM4.67 million.
Negeri Sembilan JKDM director Jamal Paiman said the seizures involved estimated duties and taxes of RM7.6 million, while two local men aged 34 and 27 were detained in the separate operations.
He said the first raid was carried out at about 3pm when a team from the Operations Branch of the Negeri Sembilan JKDM Enforcement Division stopped a lorry on the roadside in Sepang, Selangor.
"Inspection found 426 boxes weighing 3,669kg containing various mixed goods such as electronic items and vehicle spare parts suspected of not being declared according to the prescribed regulations.
"All the goods were seized under Section 114 of the Customs Act 1967, with the seizure value including the lorry estimated at RM640,268 while the duties and taxes involved are estimated at RM69,873," he said in a statement today.
Jamal said the syndicate was believed to have moved the goods out of a free zone area into the Principal Customs Area without proper declaration, using a lorry to avoid paying duties and taxes. The case is being investigated under Section 133(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967.
In the second raid at about 9.30pm the same day, officers from the Operations Unit of the Negeri Sembilan JKDM Enforcement Division raided a warehouse in the Port Klang Free Zone, Selangor.
"Inspection found 16,096 bottles and 568,470 cans of various types of liquor totalling 251,873.40 litres, suspected to be prohibited imports.
"All the liquor was seized under Section 114 of the Customs Act 1967, with the seizure value estimated at RM4,026,531 while duties and taxes involved amounted to RM7.53 million," he said.
Jamal said initial investigations found that the syndicate imported and stored the liquor in a warehouse within the free zone before moving it out to the Principal Customs Area without going through legal procedures.
"The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 as well as Item 30(1)(a) of the Free Zone Regulations 1990," he said.
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