SEPANG: The Customs Department has seized smuggled bird's nests valued at least RM1.6 million, including duties.
Central Zone Customs Department assistant director-general Norlela Ismail said a team of Enforcement Division personnel raided a warehouse at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Cargo Free Commercial Zone on July 31.
"In the raid that was conducted at around 6.15pm on that day, they checked the warehouse and found nine sacks containing 196kg of bird's nest.
"Our checks revealed that it was imported from a neighbouring country without a valid import permit," she told a press conference at the Customs Department office at the KLIA Airport Management Center here, today.
She said the bird's nest was worth RM1.57 million with RM78,800 in duties.
"Our investigations revealed that a shipping agent was listed as the consignee in the airway bill.
"Further investigations revealed that the syndicate used the excuse that the consignment shipment was a trans-shipment meant for another country when it was detained by authorities," she said.
Meanwhile, Norlela said they seized 15.3kg of ganja following an attempt to smuggle the drugs in via KLIA Terminal 1 on Aug 4.
"At around 2.15am, a team of officers from the Terminal 1 Passenger Inspection Division detained a Malaysian woman, 39, at the Terminal 1 arrival hall.
"The woman had just disembarked from a flight from Bangkok, Thailand," she said, adding that scans on the woman's bags revealed suspicious images.
She said during a search of the bags, they found 27 transparent packages.
"Checks revealed the packages contained a substance believed to be 15.3kg of ganja worth RM55,530.
"The woman had tried to smuggle the drugs in by bringing them in an aluminium container and declared the contents as bird's nest in a bid to confuse authorities," she said.
In an unrelated case, Norlela said the department also seized 322,000 sticks of cigarettes following a raid at the KLIA Cargo Free Commercial Zone on July 9.
"At around 9pm, a team from our Enforcement Division checked four cargo pallets there that 46 master cases were loaded on.
"Checks on the master cases led to the discovery of 322,000 cigarette sticks which were smuggled in.
"The shipment was declared as clothes to confuse authorities," she said adding that the cigarettes were worth RM32,000 with RM215,740 in unpaid duties.