KOTA BARU: A new Customs Department enforcement station may be set up in Gua Musang to curb rampant smuggling in the area and Lojing Highlands.
Kelantan Customs director Wan Jamal Abdul Salam Wan Long said a proposal on the matter will be handed over to the department's headquarters in Putrajaya this week.
Presently, the department's only enforcement station in Kelantan is in Kota Baru, some three hours away from Gua Musang.
"It is difficult for us to deal with smuggling cases in Gua Musang and Lojing Highlands," Wan Jamal told a press conference.
The department has around 100 enforcement officers in Kelantan, and if the station is set up, 14 officers will be stationed in Gua Musang.
"We have identified an area to set up the station in Gua Musang town, and if all goes well, it can be opened this year.
If the station is set up, Wan Jamal said the department can curb smuggling more effectively.
Meanwhile, Wan Jamal said the department has seized around RM2.4 million in smuggled goods across 17 operations in Gua Musang and Lojing Highlands between June 19 to July 5.
The smuggled goods include illicit cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and rice.
Twelve locals and three foreigners, aged 30 to 49, were arrested during the operations.