CIGARETTE smuggling must be classified as an organised crime that falls under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 (AMLA) must be utilised to take down the perpetrators, said former State Police Chief of Sarawak Datuk Dr Yusoff Nook in a statement today.
His comments came following a series of exposé by the media and confirmation from law enforcement agencies of cigarette smuggling kingpins who have caused the country to lose RM5 bil in uncollected tax revenue each year.
“After news reports of smugglers shifting their operations towards vulnerable coastal entry points, it is good to hear law enforcement agencies like the Royal Malaysian Police and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department announce a string of major busts and seizures of illegal cigarettes,” he said.
But despite law enforcement agencies acknowledging the presence of these criminal kingpins and exposing their criminal organisations and modus operandi, Dr Yusoff questioned the fact that these kingpins and organisations are still allowed to exist and operate.
At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the economy and ‘white flags’ have been surfacing throughout the communities, he insisted, the country has no space for illegal cigarette kingpins.
“They not only cause the country to lose precious funds that can help with recovery, but they also destabilise our social fabric with criminal elements and corrupt practices,” he added.
He also stressed that it is about time existing laws including SOSMA and AMLA be leveraged on to empower the enforcement agencies to take swift and immediate action against this threat to national security.
“Policymakers must set aside their political differences and take advantage of the reconvening of Parliament to support the use of SOSMA, AMLA and even Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (POCA) to get rid of these kingpins,” Dr Yusoff concluded. – July 14, 2021
