KUCHING: A man was fined RM1,000 in default three weeks’ imprisonment by the magistrates’ court here for possessing contraband cigarettes.
Magistrate Portia Tham Ong Leng imposed the fine on Chan Chee Koon after he pleaded guilty to having 54 packets of contraband cigarettes of various brands valued at RM272.52.
He was convicted under Section 135 (1) (d) of the Customs Act 1967, which provides for a fine up to 10 times the value of the seized item or three years’ jail, or both.
Chan was caught during a raid by Customs enforcement officers at Kota Sentosa Market at Mile 7, Jalan Penrissen here on July 13, 2011.
According to the brief facts of the case, all the goods were found without tax stamp affixed on each of the item as required by Customs (Prohibition of Import) Order 2008.
Investigation revealed that Chan had failed to prove to Customs that duties on all the seized goods had been paid.
The seizure valued at RM62.12 involved import duty of RM210.40.