Sabah Customs seizes beer worth RM2.7mil in latest false declaration case

KOTA KINABALU: Customs officers have detected another case of falsely declared goods brought into Sabah by smuggling syndicates to evade tax.

Sabah Customs seized six containers with some RM2.7mil worth of beer, including unpaid taxes, that came through Sepanggar port near here on May 10.

The seizure was made after it was determined that the consignment had been falsely declared as furniture, apparel, electrical appliances and hardware items, among others.

This case was the latest in a string of attempts by smuggling rings to hoodwink authorities by fraudulent declaration of goods at the same port.

Previous instances include the May 7 discovery of RM2.75mil worth of chicken meat that was declared as potatoes and green peas.

Another attempt was foiled on April 24 when containers transporting RM1.5mil of illicit beer were declared as having smartphone accessories, household items and excavator spare parts.

State Customs assistant director-general Datuk Mohd Nasir Deraman said the May 10 operation involved personnel from the Kota Kinabalu enforcement operation unit.

Acting on a tip-off, he said, the team checked 20 containers at Sepanggar port at 9am.

“Our men then found that six of them contained contraband beer,” he told a press conference at Sepanggar on Wednesday (June 12).

He said the alcoholic drinks were valued at RM484,788, and the unpaid duty came to RM2,264,476.40.

“Altogether, the items were worth RM2,749,264.40,” he added.

Mohd Nasir said investigations were being carried out under Sections 52 and 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.

He urged the public to help the authorities curb smuggling activities by calling the toll-free Customs hotline at 1-800-88-8855 with any information.

During his visit to Sabah on Monday (June 10), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the agency was actively monitoring all ports across the country to combat leakages resulting from false declaration of goods for tax evasion.

He noted that such activities often occur due to corruption and abuse of power, and the MACC would work closely with the Customs Department to address this issue.