Malaysian Customs Seized 8.79 Million Worth Of Smuggled Electronic Cigarettes.

The customs of Penang, Malaysia, announced at a recent press conference that during two surprise operations carried out in April this year, a total of 86,086 electronic cigarettes and 996.5 liters of e-cigarette liquid were seized. The total value, including taxes, amounted to 5.1754 million ringgit (approximately 8.79 million yuan).
The director of Penang Customs, Rohaizah Ali, said that during the two surprise operations conducted at the North Butterworth Container Terminal and the Port of Batu Pahat, three men were arrested, including a Chinese citizen.

He said that the first operation was launched at 1:15 p.m. on April 3rd. At that time, the law enforcement team inspected a container that had been transported from China to the North Batwathus Container Terminal. The inspection revealed that the container was declared as plastic products, but electronic cigarettes and e-liquids were hidden among other items and not declared, including 14,200 electronic cigarette devices and 210 bottles of e-liquids. The estimated total value of these items was 1.33 million ringgit, and the tax due was 205,400 ringgit.
A local man acting as an agent and a Chinese citizen who claimed to be an exporter were arrested. This was the first case involving arrests related to electronic cigarettes in Penang this year.
In another operation, law enforcement officers inspected another container from China at 11 a.m. on April 10th at the Port of Batu Pahat. The declaration was for belts and wallets, but 71,886 electronic cigarette devices and 786.5 liters of e-liquids were seized, including tax. The total value was 3.64 million ringgit. A man in his 40s acting as an agent was arrested because of his connection to this case.
Currently, the Customs Department is conducting further investigations into these two cases in accordance with Section 133(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967.
The Chief Minister of Penang State, Choo Kon Yeow, said that regarding the issue of electronic cigarettes, Penang will meet with electronic cigarette manufacturers, distributors and retailers to decide whether to ban electronic cigarettes. The meeting will soon be held by the state administrative councillor appointed to oversee this matter, Daniel Gooi Zi Sen.
Choo Kon Yeow said: "We understand that an electronic cigarette ban will only cause operators and retailers to go underground. Therefore, we need to find a balance. Penang State will also conduct a study to determine the impact of the ban on the state's macroeconomic situation. We urge all electronic cigarette operators and distributors to use this opportunity to negotiate with the government."