Crackdown on illegal cigarettes in Pudu area

KUALA LUMPUR: Ministry of Health issued 46 notices and compounds worth RM12,250 to 26 outlets for possession and selling of illegal cigarettes during the "Ops Puntung" carried out jointly with the Customs Department, police and Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism.
Deputy director general of health (public health) Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman said the operation was aimed at combating the sale of illegal cigarettes which unfortunately was becoming widespread.
"The use of illegal cigarettes also undermine national tobacco control policies in which the government wants to encourage smokers to quit smoking by raising cigarette prices in the market through tax hikes," he added.
In the first operation held yesterday, which focus mainly at Pudu area, a total 195 packs of illegal cigarettes worth RM761.40 were seized by Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile more than 6000 cigarettes worth RM538.76 involving RM3,112.04 unpaid taxes were seized by Customs in the same operation while five people were detained for selling illegal cigarettes and 43 notices were given to the people who smoked in non-smoking areas.
Lokman said they will be carrying out similar operations on a regular basis nationwide to weed out the sale of illegal cigarettes and take those responsible to task.
Meanwhile, Customs alone has seized more than 2 million illegal cigarettes worth RM14.7 million involving RM 115 million unpaid taxes in the first nine months this year.