KUALA LUMPUR: Customs officers have seized 9,286 electrical appliances worth more than RM1.33 million, including duties and taxes, in a raid on a warehouse in Seri Kembangan, Selangor.
A local man in his 60s, who managed the warehouse, was detained to assist investigations into the suspected smuggling of electrical appliances without the required approvals.
Kuala Lumpur Customs director Wan Norizan Wan Daud said the raid was conducted at a private warehouse in Bukit Belimbing on Oct 13, following intelligence received from the department's headquarters.
"Checks at the premises uncovered 9,286 electrical items of various types and functions believed to be without the necessary Certificates of Approval (CoA) from the Energy Commission and Sirim.
"Those at the premises also failed to produce valid approval documents for the goods during the inspection," she said in a statement.
Wan Norizan said the seized goods were valued at RM1,012,200, while the estimated import duties and taxes amounted to RM323,904, bringing the total seizure value to RM1,336,104.
She said investigations indicated that the electrical appliances were believed to have been smuggled into the country without the required approvals before being supplied to electrical goods distributors.
"The modus operandi involved using local purchase invoices to disguise the origin of the imported goods and avoid detection by the authorities," she said.
Wan Norizan said investigations were ongoing to identify and locate the owner of the seized appliances for further action.
The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act for storing or possessing uncustomed goods or prohibited imports.
Those convicted face a fine of between 10 and 20 times the customs duty involved, subject to the statutory minimum and maximum calculations, or imprisonment of between six months and five years, or both.
Wan Norizan urged the public to assist Customs in combating smuggling, warning that such offences not only deprived the government of revenue but also threatened national security and public welfare.
She said information on smuggling activities could be channelled to the Customs toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-8855 or the nearest Customs office.
Identities of informants would be kept confidential.
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