Sabah Customs seize 2,500 cartons of liquor smuggled from Labuan

KOTA KINABALU: Recently, 2,500 cartons of liquor worth RM347,223.60 (duty and tax included) that were being smuggled into Sabah from the duty-free island of Labuan were found by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) in Sabah.

According to Assistant Director-General Datuk Mohd Nasir Deraman of Sabah Zone Customs, the estimated value of the liquor was RM68,766, with RM278,457.60 coming from duties and taxes.

He claimed that at approximately 11 p.m. on June 12, near KM1 Jalan Lama Papar-Kota Kinabalu, Kampung Novoung, Papar, JKDM stopped and examined a truck according to intelligence information.

Following an inspection, it was discovered that the truck had a number of blue drums stacked on top of it. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that beneath the drums were 2,500 spirits boxes bearing the designation Malaysian Duty Not Paid (MDNP) belonging to different brands.To help with the inquiry, a 43-year-old local man working as a truck driver was taken into custody. At a news conference held here today, he stated that smuggling not only costs the nation money in lost taxes but also endangers national security and public safety.

He added that the matter was being looked into for the offence of moving goods without a permit in order to avoid paying taxes, as defined by Section 135 (1) (e) of the Customs Act of 1967.

Regarding this, Mohd Nasir stated that the public is encouraged to assist by reporting any information pertaining to smuggling activities through the Customs Toll Free number, 1-800-88-8855, with the knowledge that all informants’ identities will be kept private.