JOHOR BARU, Jan 19 — The Johor Customs Department foiled an attempt to smuggle contraband alcoholic beverages, amounting to RM1.845 million, in separate raids in Ulu Tiram and Pasir Gudang here recently.
In the first case, Johor Customs Department director Misbahudin Parmin said a team from the department’s Pasir Gudang enforcement division carried out inspections on three containers located in the Johor Port in Pasir Gudang on November 30.
"The syndicate smuggled the contraband alcoholic beverages by putting it in apple juice boxes in an attempt to evade the authorities.
"Inspection of the vessel's cargo documents found that the merchandise was declared as carbonated apple juice drinking water.
"Further probes by the department’s southern zone intelligence team and representatives of the delivery company found that 40 per cent of the merchandise that was declared as apple juice was contraband alcoholic beverages that were hidden in the carbonated beverage boxes,” said Misbahudin in a press conference at Menara Kastam, Johor here today.
Misbahudin explained that the modus operandi of the syndicate was to make false declarations and the seized alcohol beverages was estimated to be worth RM1.742 million.
He said the case was investigated under Section 133(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967 and Section 135(1)(a) of the same Act.
"All the alcohol beverages is believed to be smuggled in from China and was meant for the local market,” he said.
All alcoholic beverages are prohibited from being directly imported into the country and are subjected to the Customs (Prohibition on Import) Order 2017.
The importation of all types of alcoholic beverages requires an import license from the Customs Department director-general.
In the second case, Misbahudin said that the department uncovered another attempt to smuggle alcoholic beverages after raiding a two-storey terrace house in Desa Cemerlang in Ulu Tiram on January 1.
During the raid, he said Customs Department officers arrested a 34-year-old Bangladeshi man and seized a quantity of untaxed alcoholic beverages consisting of various brands worth RM103,400.
He added that the success of the raid was the result of intelligence gathering and surveillance that was carried out over the past month.
"The modus operandi of this smuggling syndicate was to turn the residential home into a storage area for the contraband alcohol beverages.
"The alcoholic beverages was believed to be obtained from local and foreign sources, before being distributed to the local market," he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 and also under Section 74(1)(c) of the Excise Act 1976.
