MACHANG: A 35-year-old was arrested over the possesion of 19,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes, worth more than RM20,000, here yesterday.
Southeast Brigade General Operations Force Commander Datuk Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid said the arrest was made after officers spotted the man acting suspiciously in a car at Kampung Pangkai Petai at 11.30am.
Nik Ros Azhan added that officers found several boxes containing the contraband when they stopped and inspected the vehicle.
"The GOF personnel later arrested the man," he said, adding that the car used by the man was also seized to facilitate investigations into the case.
Nik Ros Azhan said preliminary investigations showed the cigarettes were believed to have been smuggled into the state from a neighbouring country.
In a separate case, the GOF team arrested a 46-year-old woman on suspicision of smuggling rice into the country in Kampung Siram, Rantau Panjang here yesterday.
The enforcement team found 486kg of smuggled rice, worth nearly RM2,000, when they inspected her Perodua Myvi in the 1.45pm arrest.
"The woman, a local, is believed to be a smuggler who has been active for many years.
"She is now being held for further action," he added.