JOHOR BARU, Aug 2 — Johor Customs foiled a smuggling attempt on Wednesday, its third in the past one month, at the inbound passenger lane of the Sultan Iskandar Customs and immigration complex, seizing 844,800 kretek cigarettes involving RM514,483 in taxes.     

Johor Customs Department director Datuk Ramli Johari said the department had thwarted 17 such attempts between January and July this year worth an estimated RM1.17 million and worth RM14.1 million in taxes.  

“We stopped a lorry coming through from Singapore about 2.05am and have remanded the 22-year-old local driver for 10 days to facilitate investigations.

“The cigarettes are worth RM84,480 and the taxes payable on them are RM430,003,” Ramli told reporters at Menara Kastam here today. — Bernama