Sabah customs seize contraband liquor worth RM1.41 mil

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah customs department foiled three attempts to smuggle in four containers of contraband liquor worth RM1.41 million at the Sepanggar Port, here recently.

Sabah Zone Customs assistant director-general Cheong Yu Min said the four containers were detained between Aug 11 and 17, with contaband liquor worth RM278,064.53 while unpaid duty amounted to RM1.13 million.

He said at 9.45am on Aug 11, a team from the Kota Kinabalu enforcement unit stopped and inspected a container and found 18,235 litres of liquor worth RM69,458.88 and unpaid duty amounting to RM284,139.95.

On Aug 16, at 9.05am, two containers containing liquor worth RM145,570.37 and unpaid duty amounting to RM594,410.86, were detained, he said in a statement, here today.

Yu Min said on Aug 17, Sabah customs detained another container with 16,632 litres of contaband liquor worth RM63,035.28 and unpaid duty amounting to RM257,862,53.

He said syndicates try to smuggle in contraband liquor without paying tax by declaring such goods as different products, to fool the authorities.

The case will be investigated under Section 135 (a) of the Customs Act 1967.

-- BERNAMA