KLANG – The Central Zone II (Selangor) Royal Malaysian Customs Department confiscated 231 luxury vehicles and various commodities amounting to RM30.8 million during six separate operations aimed at crippling smuggling activities in June and July.
Central Zone assistant director-general Norlela Ismail said the confiscation of Toyota Alphard, Mini Cooper and Chery Omoda cars, including an electric vehicle (EV), with a total value of RM27.4 million including tax was made after an inspection was carried out on 84 containers in the North Port Free Zone on June 25 and 27.
She said preliminary investigations revealed that the containers originated from a country in East Asia, while all the vehicles, estimated at more than RM100,000, were bound for the local market.
“Further inspections also revealed that all the imported vehicles did not have approved permits issued by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti),” she said, here today.
In a separate case, Norlela said Customs also confiscated 6,500 live trees from a container at the same port on June 6, believed to be sold in the local market for landscaping.
She said all the trees including bonsai plants, estimated to be worth RM325,000, that were declared as plastic landscape trees, also did not have an import permit from the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department.
She said the three cases were investigated under Section 135 (1) (a) of the Customs Act 1967.
In the meantime, Norlela said Customs had also seized four million sticks of cigarettes worth RM2.992 million and 381 kg of shisha tobacco worth RM43,832, after detaining two containers in the West Port Free Zone and the North Port Free Zone, respectively on June 4 and 15.
She said the two seized items were declared as Wood Marquetry and Inlaid Wood, as well as Loose Goods to avoid detection by the authorities.
In yet another case, Norlela said Customs seized 600 methamphetamine pills worth RM9,000 during an inspection of plastic packages at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport mail and courier centre on July 16.
“An inspection revealed three packets of pills hidden in the folds of jeans in the courier package,” she said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – August 1, 2024