JOHOR BARU: Marine police foiled an attempt to smuggle contraband cigarettes worth RM2.4 million off the coast of Tanjung Labuh in Batu Pahat on Monday.
The authorities seized 204,500 cartons of the illicit cigarettes from a bonded truck during an operation at about 3am.
Region Two Marine Police chief Assistant Commissioner Paul Khiu Khon Chiang said that a 41-year-old Malaysian lorry driver was detained to assist in the investigation.
"A marine police team spotted the lorry parked about 800m away from the Tanjung Labuh beach, and trailed it for several kilometres before the vehicle came to a stop.
"In the lorry, we found boxes containing the illicit cigarettes have a street value of RM2.4 million. So far, this is the biggest heist of illicit cigarettes we have made in Johor this year," Khiu told reporters at the Region Two Marine Police headquarters in Pengkalan Rinting, Tampoi on Thursday.
He said the contraband cigarettes were labelled with the "John 16 G" name.
Khiu said that the modus operandi of the smugglers in Tanjung Laboh were similar to another recent case near Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, where RM4.4 million worth of illicit cigarettes were smuggled in using water routes before it is loaded on to lorries for land transfer.
"We believe that the smugglers in the Batu Pahat case are using a similar modus operandi to bring the cigarettes into the country," he said.
Khiu said the 41-year-old driver, who is the only person arrested in the case so far had been remanded for four days to facilitate investigations.
"The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967 for smuggling taxable goods," said Khiu.