Bid to smuggle in 802 cartons of cigarettes foiled

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TAWAU: Two men were detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on December 24 for trying to smuggle 802 cartons of cigarettes into Tawau from a neigbouring country.

The two men aged 20 and 30, were caught about 9pm in Tawau waters as their speedboat entered from Sungai Nyamuk.

District MMEA commander Amran Hj Daud said the suspects threw a number of cigarettes into the sea in their bid to escape but failed.

He said the two men did not possess any identification documents and are believed to be Filipinos.

The boat was loaded with 112 cartons of Surya Gudang Garam cigarettes, 96 cartons of LA International (Green), 231 cartons of Premium, 98 cartons of Astro Red, 67 cartons of Green Astro and 198 cartons of Menara Dunia.

He said this was the third seizure of cigarettes this year and the case would be investigated under the Customs Act 1967.