Malaysia - doing a better job of seizing smuggled cigarettes..

July 7, 2010 - The value of smuggled cigarettes seized in the first five months of this year was more than RM43 million (13.4 million USD) 56 per cent higher than the value of the seized contraband for the corresponding period last year, the (House of Representatives is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia) was told Monday, July 5th. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Donald Lim said 1,486 arrests were made in association with cigarettes smuggled into the country between January and May this year (2010), compared with 1,123 and 1,799 during the whole of 2008 and 2009, respectively.

"The value of smuggled cigarettes seized in the first five months of this year was RM43,593,379 while the value of the contraband seized in the whole of 2008 was RM58,167,561.89 and in the whole of 2009, RM70,902,558.52," he said when replying to a question from Mohsin Fadzli Samuri (IND-Bagan Serai).

Lim said the measures to check smuggling of cigarettes included inspections of premises or stores, raids, road blocks, land and sea patrols as well as scanning of merchandise for the contraband. "Besides, we also conduct intelligence activity, campaigns and publicity to raise awareness in the public, and use security ink and stamp duty," he added.

Reference: Dewan Rakyat: More Seizures Of Smuggled Cigarettes This Year, BERNAMA.com, 7/5/2010.

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Komtar, Penang, Malaysia smoking ban strictly enforced..;
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Malaysia - PSD and Cuepacs are at odds over the no-smoking rule at government de­­partments and agencies..;
Malaysia: Are tobacco control measures working? - WHO thinks so...;
Malaysia - slowdown in cigarette consumption..;
Malaysia - January 1, 2009 pictorial cigarette warnings..;
Malaysia to hike cigarette prices..;
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