Duo busted smuggling 888 booze bottles into Malaysia
Border agents foiled the efforts of two men to smuggle alcohol into Malaysia – after 888 bottles of liquor were found stashed in a van.
The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) has thwarted an attempt to smuggle 700 litres of alcohol, worth more than RM111,000 (around £20,700), including unpaid taxes, into Malaysia from Singapore.
The incident took place by the Johor Bahru-based immigration complex, Sultan Iskandar Building, on 9 April at approximately 3.20pm, the agency said in a Facebook statement.
After leaving the Woodlands Checkpoint, the van entered a lane strictly sectioned off for drivers. So, when officials spotted a passenger next to the driver, they saw grounds for inspection.
Caught in the act
“Further inspection led to the discovery of a number of boxes, covered with black cloth, and containing 888 bottles of undeclared liquor that were being attempted to be smuggled in,” AKPS said.
The organisation added that the two Malaysian men, aged 38 and 43, did not respond to questioning.
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The case has been referred to Malaysia’s Customs Department (JKDM) for further investigations, AKPS added.
Broader picture
Smuggling or failing to declare goods is an offence under Malaysia’s Customs Act 1967.
Penalties can include fines or imprisonment or both.
In 2025, JKDM successfully foiled 7,097 attempts at smuggling and duty evasion in 2025, seizing goods priced at a total of RM 1.88 billion (£351 million), its highest ever annual enforcement haul.
However, last year, the Finance Ministry also announced that Malaysia has recorded RM 1.8 billion (£335.8 million) in tax losses from cigarettes and liquor smuggling over the previous five years.
Over the five year period leading to September 2025, liquor smuggling cases added up to 780, with RM 30.46 million (£5.68 million) in seizures and RM 78.41 million (£14.63 million) in unpaid taxes.
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