BUKIT KAYU HITAM – The Kedah Customs Department foiled an attempt to smuggle in 15 tonnes of firecrackers and fireworks worth RM388,852 through the Malaysian-Thai border here on Wednesday.
Customs tax on the items was estimated at RM252,752. Kedah Customs deputy director Saidi Ismail said acting on a tip-off, his officers had stopped a trailer lorry travelling towards Changlun at about 6.30pm.
“The 64-year-old driver, a local man, failed to shed light on the goods the lorry was carrying, brandishing falsified documents to wiggle his way through,” he told a press conference here today. He said the officers later found inside the trailer 700 boxes of various brands of firecrackers and fireworks believed to be headed to the Klang Valley ahead of the Aidilfitri celebration.
Saidi said the syndicate was trying to bring in the products much earlier to avoid detection. He said the suspect was remanded for four days to help in the investigation while the RM80,000 vehicle was seized.
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