Vape smuggling syndicate bribed officers up to RM6,000 daily, says Azam

 

Some of the suspects at the Putrajaya magistrates’ court where remand orders were obtained.

PETALING JAYA: 

The vape smuggling syndicate whose members were arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport cargo hub yesterday had bribed enforcement officers with daily payments of between RM4,000 and RM6,000 to release the lorries used in their operations.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki said the bribes varied depending on the type of lorry involved, with RM150 being paid for a one-tonne lorry, RM300 for a three-tonne lorry, RM500 for a five-tonne lorry and RM750 for lorries over five tonnes.

“About 20 of these lorries depart the KLIA free commercial zone every day,” Bernama quoted Azam as saying, adding that the syndicate had been actively involved in vape smuggling since 2023.

It was reported yesterday that MACC dismantled a major vape smuggling syndicate operating out of the cargo hub.

During the operation, dubbed Op Airways, MACC arrested six customs officers and eight others, including six company directors, in separate raids across KLIA and Kuala Lumpur.

It seized RM250,000 in cash, as well as luxury items including watches, jewellery, handbags, desktop computers and two lorries believed to be linked to the smuggling activities.

MACC also intercepted two lorries with the illicit consignments leaving the KLIA cargo inspection facility.

Raids on two company warehouses uncovered 122,000 illegal vapes worth about RM7.3 million in unpaid taxes.

In one lorry alone, investigators found 32,000 vapes with a tax value of RM1.9 million. Another raid uncovered 90,000 vapes worth RM5.4 million in unpaid duties. - FMT