Authorities cracked down on the country’s largest syndicate smugling cigarettes and alcohol, arresting 22 people – including 12 Customs Department officers, one of whom is a state Customs director.
The 22 suspects were arrested in simultaneous raids conducted in Klang, Dengkil and Cheras, as reported by The Star Online‘s Farik Zolkepli.
The raids yesterday were conducted jointly by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Bank Negara, and CyberSecurity.
Those arrested are suspected of being members of a syndicate smuggling contraband cigarettes and alcohol out of Port Klang’s duty free zone, which were then resold in local and international markets.
The syndicate is believed to have imported the items but would circumvent standard Customs inspections. The items, not cleared by Customs and the duty for which were not paid, would then be “distributed” to local retailers to be sold at a fraction of the market price.
MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdul said the Customs officers arrested in the operation had allegedly accpeted bribes to allow the contraband without imposing Customs duties on them.
The unpaid duty for the smuggled items is believed to amount to hundreds of millions of ringgit.
“Among those detained were 10 company owners and their agents as well as a lorry driver, who transported the smuggled items,” Mohd Shukri said in a statement yesterday.
He added that the MACC also seized money from the arrested suspects and smuggled items from a warehouse in Port Klang.
Customs Department director-general Datuk Seri Khazali Ahmad said he would wait for the full report from the MACC before commenting on the case, adding, “We will give our full cooperation in the investigation.”
More arrests are expected soon.
