KL customs dept busts illicit liquor, chewing tobacco smuggling rings

 Items worth RM2.57 million seized from warehouse and container during special operation.

Kuala Lumpur customs deputy director Noraidah Ishak and officers showing some of the seized items, including a roll of counterfeit customs tax stamps, and illicit liquor. (JKDM pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The Kuala Lumpur customs department has smashed two syndicates involved in processing and bottling illicit liquor and smuggling chewing tobacco, seizing uncustomed goods worth RM2.57 million during a special operation.

Kuala Lumpur customs deputy director Noraidah Ishak said two foreign nationals were arrested during Ops Suling, conducted from May 11 to 23.

She said the operations team raided two warehouses on Jalan Wangsa Utama in Taman Wangsa Perma on May 20 and seized 4,987 litres of whisky affixed with counterfeit tax stamps.

The team also found equipment believed to have been used for processing and bottling liquor, Bernama reported her as saying today.

They include drums containing a chemical mixture suspected to be ethanol, rolls of counterfeit customs tax stamps, packaging equipment, bottle-capping machines, and fake labels.

Noraidah said the seized goods were valued at RM278,531, with duties and taxes amounting to RM672,669, bringing the total seizure value to RM951,200.

She said the syndicate was believed to have used warehouses in secluded areas away from residential neighbourhoods to process and bottle counterfeit liquor.

In the second case, the department seized a 20ft shipping container imported from a South Asian country on May 14.

Inspections uncovered 5,449kg of suspected duty-unpaid chewing tobacco products worth RM944,944, with duties and taxes amounting to RM677,551.

The total value of the seizure was estimated at RM1,622,495, she said. - FMT