Handout photo of the Honda NSX (left) and Lexus RC300 F-Sport at Pending Port.
KUCHING (Dec 18): The Royal Malaysian Customs Department Sarawak successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle in two luxury sports cars worth RM354,574.15 on Dec 5.
Customs Department Sarawak director Norizan Yahya said the operation, carried out by the department’s intelligence centre and land operations unit, intercepted two vehicles — a Honda NSX (NA1) and a Lexus RC300 F-Sport — suspected to be non-customs goods.
“Customs Department Sarawak has detained the two vehicles declared using Customs Form 3 at Pending Port in Kuching for inspection.
“Detailed checks revealed that the vehicle information declared in the Customs Form 3 matched the Vehicle Ownership Certificate.
“However, upon verification with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) records, it was found that the chassis numbers differed from JPJ’s records,” he said in a statement today.
He said the vehicles were seized under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 for suspected violations.
He added that the modus operandi involved smuggling non-customs vehicles into the country and using legitimate registration numbers of similar vehicles to deceive the authorities.
“In this regard, the public is urged to assist the Customs department in combating smuggling activities, particularly cigarettes, alcohol, fireworks, drugs, vehicles, and others, and is advised to not get involved in such activities,” he said.
The public can provide information on any smuggling activities by contacting the Customs Toll-Free Line on 1-800-88-8855 or the nearest Customs office in any state.
The department also assures that the identity of informants is kept confidential.