Customs records 2,333 cigarette-smuggling cases worth RM476m in eight months

THE Royal Malaysian Customs Department recorded 2,333 cigarette-smuggling cases involving seizures worth RM476.3 million, including duties and taxes, in the first eight months of the year, with enforcement efforts now targeting entire smuggling networks rather than just retail sellers.

Customs director-general Datuk Amran Ahmad said syndicates were constantly changing their tactics to evade detection, while field investigations had confirmed that migrant workers were being assigned to sell cigarettes on which duties and taxes had not been paid.

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