KOTA KINABALU: Three Pakistani men were jailed and fined by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday for possessing contraband cigarettes worth RM1,135.80.
Ali Omar, Parvez Khan and Mohammad Zaman, who operate sundry shops, were charged under Section 135 (1)(d), punishable under Section 135 (1)(iii)(aa) of the Customs Act 1967, which provides for a punishment of not more than 20 times the value of the smuggled goods or a maximum of three years’ jail, or both.
They were caught during a Customs raid between November 1 and 3 this year, when 130 packets of illegal cigarettes were confiscated from their shops at Country Heights Plaza, Jalan Lama Menggatal and the Menggatal township.
Ali, who was found with 36 packets of the cigarettes worth RM318.60, was fined 15 times the total amount of the illicit items, while Parvez and Zaman were fined 10 times the value of 72 and 22 packets of the cigarettes worth RM621 and RM196.20, respectively.
Magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun also ordered all the three men to serve three months behind bars.