Malaysia seizes 18 tonnes of rice worth nearly $29k smuggled from Singapore at Johor checkpoint
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The lorry driver, in his 30s, was apprehended at the cargo lane of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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JOHOR BAHRU - A lorry carrying rice worth RM100,000 (S$28,940) from Singapore was detained at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) of Bangunan Sultan Iskandar in Johor Bahru.
The Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis) Johor office said the lorry driver, who’s in his 30s, was apprehended at the cargo lane of the CIQ complex.
“He did not have valid documents to import the 18 tonnes of rice kept in 20 jumbo sacks,” Maqis said in a statement on Wednesday, adding the rice was seized at 3pm last Thursday.
It was found during routine inspection to have been declared as different items.
The statement said the case has been forwarded to the Paddy and Rice Regulatory Division for further investigation.
It said Maqis was committed to carrying out enforcement at the country’s entry points to ensure the safety of agricultural products entering Malaysia.
“We will continue to work with other enforcement agencies and departments to strengthen our country’s biosecurity control,” it added.
In an update on Thursday, Johor Maqis director Edie Putra Md Yusof said the 32-year-old lorry driver was released after giving his statement. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
