JOHOR BARU: Marine police arrested two men and seized illicit cigarettes worth RM1.39 million in a raid on a terrace house used as a store in Indahpura, Kulai.
The cigarettes were believed to have been smuggled in by a syndicate which had several members arrested last month.
Federal police Internal Security and Public Order Department deputy director Datuk Zainal Abidin Kasim said the raid, dubbed Op Landai Khas and conducted by the marine intelligence unit about 8pm Wednesday, saw two men aged 26 and 29 detained and 117,320 packs of cigarettes of various brands seized.
He said, following the success against the syndicate in early October in Bandar Penawar, Kota Tinggi, police had followed several members whose identities had become known to investigators.
The members unwittingly led police to their store and surveillance was set up to watch the activities of the group.
Just prior to the raid, police observed two men loading cartons of illicit cigarettes into a Toyota Hilux and a Perodua Alza, said Zainal Abidin.
“When we raided the terrace house, we found that it had been turned into a store,” he told reporters.
Zainal Abidin said police also seized RM18,465 cash during the raid, adding that they were now tracking down other members of the syndicate.
He said police believed there were several syndicates actively involved in the daily smuggling of goods into the country.
He said police were committed to putting a stop to such activities but admitted that there were many challenges to overcome, including that some members of the fishing community were in league with the smugglers.
Zainal Abidin said there were syndicates who paid fishermen and villagers for their “cooperation”.