State Customs chief held in PKFZ smuggling racket
As published in Malay Mail today. The image of the Malaysian Customs Department has been dealt a severe blow following the arrests of a northern state chief and 11 officers by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on suspicion of large-scale smuggling at the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ). The officers and their 10 accomplices were rounded up yesterday in Taman Megah and Taman Segar in Cheras, Dengkil and Klang in a massive operation that also involved the police, Inland Revenue Board, Bank Negara and CyberSecurity. The swoop followed a 12-month surveillance on the multi-million ringgit cross-border smuggling of cigarettes and liquor. The Customs officers are believed to have facilitated the transportation and sale of goods which amounted to hundreds of millions in unpaid taxes. It is understood the gang moved the goods via land to Thailand and Singapore, raising further questions over our porous borders where cases of people trafficking and firearms being sne...