KLANG: The Customs Department has thwarted six smuggling attempts of goods worth RM121.65 million within a month.
Its Central Zone deputy director Norlela Ismail said her officers seized two cases of contraband cigarettes, beedi, used electric scooters, scrap metal and scrap plastic from mid-March to mid-April.
She said that in the first raid on March 19, the department hindered an attempt involving seven containers containing illicit cigarettes in Westport, Port Klang.
She said the seizure involved approximately 76.86 million contraband cigarettes with unpaid taxes estimated at RM52,264,800.
"The second case involved four containers containing 40 million cigarettes with an estimated trade value and tax duty totalling RM35.2 million on April 2," she said.
Norlela said the department also seized a container and found a quantity of beedis (thin cigarettes filled with tobacco flake) without import permits on April 15.
"The trade value is estimated at RM40,000, involving the seizure of 500,000 beedis, with an estimated tax of RM12,507,260.
"The modus operandi of the syndicate involved falsely declaring the goods as 'foodstuff' on the Customs Form One to avoid detection by Customs," she said.
On March 20, Customs also inspected a container and found 700 units of used electric scooters with an estimated value of RM573,300, including taxes.
From March 27 until April 9, Customs officers seized 34 containers filled with 716,896kg of scrap metal estimated at RM5,344,362.
From April 2 to April 15, six containers were seized after they were found to have 136,860kg of scrap plastic.
The contents, all without permits, were estimated at a value of RM355,102.
Norlela said, so far, no arrests have been made, with the cases being investigated under Section 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967.