Singaporean nabbed in illicit cigarette bust worth over RM1mil

A Singaporean is among two male suspects arrested by the General Operations Force (GOF) during a major illicit cigarette bust worth more than RM1mil.

Its Simpang Renggam Fifth Battalion commanding officer Supt Dimin Awang said that a team of GOF personnel spotted a suspicious looking Toyota Vellfire at around 2pm near Taman Sutera.

“The vehicle just transferred several boxes of illicit cigarettes into a Proton Exora before we were able to stop the Vellfire, while the other car sped off.

“One team chased the Proton, which led us to a house along Jalan Kemuliaan 35 here, while the other team inspected the Vellfire, where we seized RM15,000 in cash,” Supt Dimin said in a press conference here yesterday.

He added that the Vellfire driver, a Singaporean man, was detained at the first location.

“The second local suspect led us to this house that we had long suspected of being a storage for contraband cigarettes,” he said, adding that both suspects were aged between 31 and 49.

He added that his men found many boxes of illicit cigarettes inside the house, believed to be smuggled from a neighbouring country, with the items meant for the local market.

Supt Dimin also said that checks revealed that one of the suspects has a prior criminal record.

“This is the biggest illicit cigarette seizure we recorded so far this year, worth RM1.7mil including the two vehicles used by them,” Supt Dimin said.