BUTTERWORTH: A cigarette smuggling syndicate's tactic in using a secret room in a house to hide nearly two million sticks of various brands of untaxed white and kretek cigarettes was uncovered following a raid.
Penang Customs Department director Rohaizad Ali said the raid at a terrace house in Permatang Pauh near here was conducted by its enforcement division's operation unit on Oct 8. It led to the seizure of the cigarettes valued at RM581,254, involving a tax amount of RM1.37 million.
"Acting on information and intelligence, we monitored the double-storey terrace house for a week after being informed of smuggling activities there.
"Prior to the raid, we observed the house for two hours and found no one present before entering.
"Initial checks by the team found no goods, and the premises appeared unoccupied. However, upon further inspection, the team discovered a secret room concealed behind a specially-designed wardrobe intended to hide the smuggled cigarettes," he told newsmen here today.
Rohaizad said this led to the discovery of 1.54 million sticks of white cigarettes and 450,120 sticks of various brands of kretek cigarettes hidden there. They were believed to have been smuggled to Malaysia from Indonesia. The white cigarettes are also believed to have come from a neighboring country.
He said during inspection at the house, a 70-year-old man arrived, claiming he had rented the house to a foreign man two years ago.
"The team managed to uncover the special room after conducting a two-hour inspection of the house. Externally, the room seemed large, but inside it was small, and a thorough examination of the wardrobe revealed the hidden room.
"We recorded the statement of the house owner and are currently tracing the tenant. We believe the premises was used as a storage facility for the smuggled cigarettes before they are sold in the local market."
Rohaizad said the total value of the seized white and kretek cigarettes amounted to nearly RM2 million, including the taxes.
He said further investigations are ongoing, including effortst ot track the cigarette smuggling network.
The case is investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 and Section 74(1)(e) of the Excise Act 1976.