Man pleads not guilty to being in possession of contraband cigarettes worth RM129,742

A man pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate's Court here, Sunday after he was charged with being in possession of smuggled cigarettes valued at RM129,742, last January.

Masri Sulong, 37, was alleged to have been possession of the contraband cigarettes at an unnumbered premises and a lorry near a house at address 604 Kampung Beladau Selat, near here at 6.45om on Jan 27.

The case involved 12,907 cartons of cigarettes.

He was charged under the Customs Act 1967 and is liable to be fined a minimum of RM1,297,420 or jailed not more than three years, or both, or fined a maximum of RM2,594,840, if convicted.

Magistrate Abdul Hayyi Salim fixed March 30 for re-mention.

Customs Department prosecuting officer Zaizul Azli Muhd Zain appeared for the prosecution.