Enforcement officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s (KLIA) Free Commercial Zone (FCZ) allegedly received bribes of up to RM6,000 daily to allow lorries carrying smuggled vape products to bypass inspections, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the bribes were calculated based on the size of the lorries, reports The Star.
“For a 1-tonne lorry, the amount was RM150; for a 3-tonne lorry, RM300; for a 5-tonne lorry, RM500; and for lorries above five tonnes, RM750,” he said.
He added that approximately 20 lorries passed through the FCZ daily, making the total bribes paid between RM4,000 and RM6,000 each day.
The lorries, he said, were involved in various offenses, primarily smuggling.
Large-scale bust under Ops Airways
The syndicate was uncovered during a special operation codenamed “Ops Airways,” during which items including vapes, cash, computers, and mobile phones worth RM17.9 million were seized.
“We believe this vape smuggling syndicate has been active since 2023. For now, our investigation is ongoing, and we are in the process of identifying additional suspects involved in these activities,” Azam said.
The operation, conducted after a three-month surveillance effort, led to the arrest of 14 individuals aged between 20 and 60. This group included six Customs officers and eight others, six of whom were company directors.
Millions in unpaid taxes
The bust revealed significant tax evasion. During the operation, two lorries leaving the KLIA cargo inspection centre were intercepted, resulting in the seizure of 32,000 vape pens valued at RM1.9 million in unpaid taxes.
Further raids on two warehouses associated with the companies uncovered 90,000 vape pens with an estimated tax value of RM5.4 million, and tens of thousands more vape pens were found in another warehouse.
Authorities estimate a total tax loss of approximately RM8 million.
“The contents of these vape pens are also feared to be harmful to the health of consumers,” a source told The Star.
It is believed that the smuggled vape pens were not declared, and no documentation was recorded, mirroring the “flying containers” modus operandi, where enforcement officers allegedly received payments to bypass scanning machines or inspections.
Arrests and remand
The 14 individuals arrested were remanded for further investigations, with six Customs officers and six others, including four company directors, detained for four days. One additional suspect was remanded for five days. – January 24, 2025.
