Sibu: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) of Sarawak seized white cigarettes, liquor, and frozen goods in three separate raids in Sibu, with the total value of goods and duties amounting to RM2,267,310.69.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Sarawak Customs director Datuk Norizan Yahya stated that the raids at three different locations were conducted based on information received from its Intelligence Zone and involved an enforcement team from the Sibu Land Operations Unit, JKDM Sarawak.

The first raid, conducted on July 30 at about 9.30 am, uncovered 1.2 million sticks of white cigarettes and 3,294.72 litres of liquor stored in an abandoned commercial building at Lorong Tunku Abdul Rahman 29A, with all the items valued at RM979,206.62.

In the second raid on the same day at about 9.40 am, the team seized 800,000 sticks of white cigarettes of various brands and 4,625.28 litres of liquor at an unoccupied house in Lorong Kong Yit Khim 8A, with the total value - including duties - amounting to RM703,232.38.

The third raid was conducted on July 31 at about 8.30 am at a warehouse on Jalan Then Kung Suk. The team confiscated 64,524 kilogrammes of frozen goods stored in three containers, along with 792 litres of liquor, valued at RM584,871.69, including duties.

Norizan said all three cases are being investigated under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967. Their modus operandi involves storing the prohibited goods in abandoned or vacant premises before distributing them to the local market.

He urged the public to assist JKDM in combating smuggling activities by contacting the Customs toll-free line at 1-800-88-8855 or the nearest Customs office in any state, assuring that the identity of all informants would be kept confidential.