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KUANTAN: A syndicate assumed that they could dupe the authorities by hiding contraband cigarettes with unpaid duties in an abandoned lorry at Taman Sri Mahkota here before returning to transport the goods during peak hours.
The Pahang Customs Department, however, discovered their ruse after being tipped off on July 16 before discovering cigarettes worth RM841,680 in unpaid duties inside the vehicle.
Customs director Mohd Asri Seman said his officers had received information about a lorry parked by the roadside at a housing settlement near here before inspecting the vehicle at about 2pm.
"The lorry's rear compartment was covered with canvas and upon inspection, we found more than one million sticks of cigarettes valued at some RM100,800. Investigations revealed the lorry was always covered with canvas and sometimes seen away during the day.
"However, there has been no information about the vehicle owner and we are still investigating the suspect who had parked the vehicle at the housing area to avoid detection. The lorry was using a fake vehicle registration plate," he told reporters at the department's headquarters here today.
Asri said checks revealed the seized cigarettes were brought into the country through the sea route and were supposed to be supplied to Kuala Lumpur.
He said the case is investigated under Section 135 (1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 for possession or selling of smuggled cigarettes.
In a separate incident, Asri said the department seized 6,750kg of frozen pork worth an estimated RM135,000 after inspecting a lorry at Km131 of Jalan Grik-Jeli in Perak on July 17.
He said two suspects in their 40s were detained during the 5.30am incident and they were believed to have obtained the meat from Thailand to be sold locally.
"The duo did not have an import permit to bring in the frozen meat. We believe they are part of a bigger syndicate which is involved in smuggling the frozen meat using lorries which travel along the stretch at night," he said.
Meanwhile, Asri said the department had seized contraband cigarettes with unpaid duties amounting to RM45,607 after they flagged down a car at Km129 of Jalan Kuantan-Segamat near Muadzam Shah in Rompin at about 2.30pm on July 22.
"Investigations revealed the suspect in his 40s was responsible for delivering the cigarettes to selected estates and plantations along the stretch. We believe the cigarettes were sought by labourers who are mostly foreigners," he said.
Asri said both seizures in Perak and Rompin were being probed under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967 for ferrying smuggled goods.