KOTA KINABALU: Marine police busted a cigarette smuggling syndicate and seized contraband worth RM38,580 in Tawau last Friday (Jan 10).
Acting on a tip-off, a team of five officers, including four from the Marine Intelligence Unit, launched Ops Taring Landai at 5.30am.
Surveillance was done in Kampung Icebox, at a bridge suspected to be a temporary offloading site for smuggled goods arriving from a neighbouring country.
“During the operation, two men were spotted unloading several boxes in a suspicious manner.
Upon noticing the approaching officers, the suspects abandoned the boxes and fled into the nearby water village,” said Sabah Marine Police commander Asst Comm Mohd Nazri Ibrahim in a statement on Monday (Jan 13).
He added that efforts to apprehend the suspects were unsuccessful, despite extensive searches in the surrounding area.
Upon inspection, the team discovered 26,200 sticks of cigarettes, amounting to 1,570 packs of various brands, believed to have been smuggled into the country, which was later transported to the Tawau district police headquarters for further action.
Mohd Nazri added that initial investigations revealed that the area was being used as a temporary storage point before the contraband was distributed around Tawau.
The seized contraband has since been handed over to the Tawau District Police Headquarters for further investigation under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
In commending the team’s swift action, he reaffirmed their commitment to combating smuggling activities.
“We will continue to enhance operations and intelligence gathering to curb illegal activities that harm our local economy,” he said.
The authorities have urged the public to report any suspicious activities to assist in efforts to dismantle smuggling syndicates operating in the region.
