GOF seizes illicit ciggies worth over RM250,000 in Kuching

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A police photo showing the suspect and the boxes of illicit cigarettes inside the house that was raided by police yesterday.

KUCHING (Aug 6): The General Operations Force (GOF) on Friday successfully seized illicit cigarettes worth over RM250,000 at a house in Jalan Setia Raja here around 9am.

In a statement released last night, Kuching district police chief ACP Ahsmon Bajah said they also arrested a male suspect who will be brought to the Magistrate’s Court here for a remand order.

“The cigarettes of different brands, which were packed in 32 boxes or 1,690 cartons, is believed to be without tax,” Ahsmon said.

He added the suspect, who is in his late 40s, will be investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 which carries a fine not less than 10 times the value of items or RM100,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The Act also states a fine not less than 20 times the value of items or RM500,000, whichever is higher, or imprisonment no less than six months and not more than five years, or both.

“The police will continue to conduct similar operations to tackle any form of smuggling activities,” Ahsmon added.