‘Dumping of chicken wings done by Putrajaya Customs’
SIBU: The chicken wings buried near Bukit Aup were seized by Customs Department personnel from Putrajaya at the Rajang Port here on Feb 23 this year.
Acting Sarawak Customs director Ahmad Zainudin Drahman, who disclosed this, said they were confiscated because they were imported without permit.
He said the value of the seized chicken wings weighing 8.1 tonnes (81,500kg) was RM543,706.30 with import duty of RM108,742.86.
“Based on marking on the boxes, the country of origin of the items is the Netherlands. It is the first case of such confiscation in Sibu.
“Investigation is on- going to find the importer,” he told a press conference at the Customs station in Deshon Road here yesterday.
He said the goods were seized after the Customs Department received public tip- off and after their intelligence team had gathered information on the matter.
On why the confiscated chicken wings were dumped at a place near Bukit Aup, Ahmad said everything from seizure to burial of the chicken wings was handled by the Customs Department in Putrajaya.
“I cannot give the rationale for their ( Putrajaya Customs) decision to dump it there.
“We (Sibu Customs) only provide the manpower,” he said.
On whether the chicken wings were buried because they were contaminated or not halal, he said he was not aware of the reason because the role of the Sibu Customs is to ensure imported goods have import permit.
Asked on their standard operating procedure ( SOP) for disposing such goods, he said that they usually dispose them at refuse centres after consulting the Veterinary Department.
“That is what we are going to do now. But this disposal of the chicken wings near Bukit Aup is beyond our knowledge.
“It was arranged by Putrajaya Customs,” he said.
Earlier, he had said they would dig out the chicken wings and transfer them to Kemuyang landfill where together with the Veterinary Department they would bury them.
Present at the press conference were assistant Sarawak Customs director Herman Shah Abdullah and Sibu Customs station head Purna Limbu Padamlal Limbu.