KOTA KINABALU, Nov 12 — Smuggled goods worth RM29.04 million were seized in Sabah in 190 raids conducted in the first 10 months of this year, said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah.

He said the seizures represented a sharp increase over the confiscated goods amounting to RM6.98 million from 190 raids last year and RM5.38 million from 76 raids in 2019.

He said the General Operations Force, the Criminal Investigation Department and the Marine Police were among the police branches responsible for curbing the smuggling of goods.

"The raids were followed by seizures and charges against the groups that carried out the activities. Sabah police will continue to conduct raids as well as gather information on these illegal activities.

"We welcome cooperation and sharing of information from the local community on any activity,” he said in a statement tonight.

Idris added that in the same period, 2,063 people were arrested in 1,540 raids involving illegal gambling activities in the state.

"There is a significant increase in raids compared to the previous year (2020) where 1,540 people were arrested in 1,082 raids,” he said. — Bernama