GEORGE TOWN: After months of intelligence work, marine police determined that a house in Tanjung Bungah near here had become a storehouse for millions of sticks of illegal cigarettes.
Despite a 48-hour stakeout, no one was seen entering the premises, so a team from the state Region One Marine Police Force decided to storm the house in Jalan Choong Lye Hock.
Inside, they found 4.9 million sticks of boxed contraband cigarettes, worth RM5.1mil, stacked almost from the floor to the ceiling on Tuesday.
Its commander Asst Comm Shamsol Kassim said the operation dubbed Ops Taring Landai Kontraban began on Nov 10.
The intelligence team learned of the storehouse in Tanjung Bungah and staked it out for two days before raiding it.
Big haul: ACP Shamsol (left) showing the seized contraband cigarettes at the Batu Uban marine police base.
ACP Shamsol said the cigarettes were packed into 490 boxes containing 24,500 cartons, worth RM5,120,500, including tax.
Police are now looking for the owner of the house to assist in investigations.
He added that the house was likely a transit point for the contraband after they were smuggled in by sea and before being distributed locally.
When asked about the syndicate’s modus operandi, ACP Shamsol said the cigarettes were found in boxes wrapped in plastic and that police believe these cigarettes were smuggled into the country.
“The smugglers use vessels and reduce the speed in the middle of the sea.
“Then, the smuggled cigarettes are transferred from the vessel using feeder boats to enter Malaysian waters, either through the east coast or west coast waters,” he said.
The case will be investigated under Section 135(1)(D) of Custom Act 1967.
