Smugglers never seem to give up

PETALING JAYA: There have been all sorts of attempts at smuggling in contraband cigarettes while avoiding detection by the authorities.

Smugglers have tried hiding items in false container floors, seafood coolers and once even in a mobile toilet, but these attempts were foiled by the authorities.

Yet smugglers never seem to give up.

When Customs Department officials inspected a 40-foot (12m) shipping container laden with lawn lamps at Northport in Port Klang early this month, they found contraband cigarettes worth RM1.52mil hidden among the items.

According to Customs Central Zone assistant director-general Norlela Ismail, when her officers scanned the container on April 2, they suspected something amiss.

“The container was declared to be carrying lawn lamps and that is what we found when we opened the container.

“However, upon a thorough check by my officers, we found cartons of cigarettes hidden inside the lawn lamp housings,” she told reporters yesterday.

Norlela said the department seized 864,000 cigarettes hidden inside the lamps.

“Checks revealed that the cigarettes, worth over RM1.52mil including unpaid duties, originated from a neighbouring country.

“We are now trying to locate the import agent and company involved to assist with investigations,” she added.

Norlela said another operation conducted on March 21 led to the seizure of smuggled beer worth RM72,610.

“Based on intelligence gathered by our officers, we checked a container at around 9.15pm at Northport.

“Our scans of the container displayed images that were not consistent with towels as what was declared,” she said, adding that when they opened the container, they did find towels initially but as they dug deeper, they found cartons of smuggled beer.

“We found 4,030 litres of beer worth RM21,000 with RM51,610 in unpaid duties,” she said, adding that the container originated from an Asean country.

She said the department had contacted a shipping representative to help with investigations.

“We believe the cigarettes and beer were meant to be sold here,” she added.