SANDAKAN: NORTH BORNEO SABAH Customs officers are raising surveillance efforts to check on booze and cigarette smuggling ahead of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
They are also keeping a close watch on smugglers trying to bring in fireworks with the other contraband items into the state, said State Customs director Datuk Yusop Mansor.
“We are beefing up operations at all land and sea routes to curb the smuggling that increases before festive celebrations,” he said.
He said the enforcement actions included the beefing up of patrols to check boats coming in from neighbouring countries and the duty-free island of Labuan.
“Personnel from the Preventive Unit will be deployed to the Sabah-Sarawak border in Sindumin to carry out checks.
Apprehended:
File photo of Customs
officers checking a boat smuggling cigarrettes in Sabah’s
east coast. “Jungle tracks linking Sabah to Indonesia’s Kalimantan border will be under close watch,” he added.
Yusop said that illegal landing points on the east coast of Sabah had been identified and surveillance teams were already in place, adding that the public could assist by providing tip-offs on smuggling activities.
Customs preventive officers seized RM400,000 worth of contraband tyres and building materials in separate raids around the city here earlier this week.
The materials included 46,000 ceramic tiles, sinks and basins believed to have been smuggled in from China.
The smuggled tyres were believed to be from Peninsular Malaysia and no documents were available to show that duty for the tyres had been paid in the peninsula, he added.