A Port Klang smuggling network probe resulted in the arrest of three Customs officers and the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of cash

PUTRAJAYA: As part of an ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into smuggling activities in Port Klang, three personnel of the Customs Department were arrested and several million dollars worth of cash was seized.

MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki (pic) told reporters after attending Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M)’s book launch ceremony titled “Sin of Corruption – A Religious Perspective” here on Thursday, June 13, that “we have detained several Customs officers and found several millions in cash and other items of value.”

He claimed that MACC is currently looking into a number of other people.

“If there is a need, there will be further arrests,” he said.

Azam stated that later today, MACC Deputy Commissioner (Operations), Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahya, will make an announcement regarding the arrests and seizure.

Azam stated that in the meanwhile, in order to extend their investigations throughout Singapore’s Causeway, the Attorney-General’s Chamber (AGC) and local authorities will collaborate closely.

Seven people, including three enforcement officials and a company director, were placed under three-day detention on Friday, June 7, in relation to smuggling activities that were discovered in Port Klang.

Graft busters, working under the codename “Ops Transit,” detained the suspects on Thursday, June 6, at a number of places in Port Klang. The suspects are five men and two women, all in their 30s and 50s.

According to reports, a special task team headed by the MACC apprehended 19 container trucks during a recent special operation in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor that was suspected of carrying a variety of illicit commodities.

It was alleged that the syndicate controlled over ten forwarding firms that were used to smuggle products into the country by filing fictitious tax returns.

The three-month-long inquiry revealed that the strategy comprised using a number of forwarding businesses that were registered in the names of people who were not aware of the import and export activities.

RM3.5bil in tax evasion is predicted over the course of the operation’s ten years, assuming a minimum tax of RM7,000 per container.

Using Customs Form 9, the syndicate prepared bogus statements to avoid paying taxes, classifying the commodities as non-taxable medical equipment and wheelchairs.

Additionally, the investigation showed that these “flying containers” would trick authorities by entering the Public Licenced Warehouse at North Port for a mere 10 to 15 minutes. After evading a formal Customs examination, the containers would subsequently be dispersed around the nation.