The Star Online

THE Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized an assortment of duty-free liquor and beer worth over RM100,000 and arrested 11 Thais from a luxury yacht anchored in Penang waters.

MMEA district enforcement head Commander Robert Teh Geok Chuan said over 180 bottles of liquor including various types of whisky and vodka as well as 15 cartons of beer were found in the store of the Panama-registered yacht Lady Orient.

He said a team, led by senior officer Mohamad Rosli Mat Salleh searched the yacht, which was anchored about half a nautical mile away from Weld Quay, and found the liquor at about 1pm on Wednesday.

Teh said initial investigations showed the duty-free items were bought from Langkawi.

“The crew and captain claimed the liquor was for their own consumption but we believe the large amount of liquor was smuggled in and meant to be sold in the local market,” he told a press conference yesterday.

The suspects, aged between 20s and 60, and the confiscated items were detained for further investigation.

Teh said the case was being investigated under the Customs Act 1967 which carried a maximum compound of up to 10 times of the items’ purchase value.

He added this was the third and largest seizure this year after the first and second cases in February and June where a total compound of about RM80,000 was collected.

Teh said the enforcement team would continue to monitor the state’s waters to prevent any untoward activities, especially during festive seasons and also in view of the price differences for certain items in neighbouring countries.

“We hope the public could cooperate and report to us when they notice any suspicious activities involving vessels in the waters of Penang,” he added.

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The Straits Times Online

JAKARTA – INDONESIAN brewers on Wednesday slammed a government plan to slap a 200-per cent excise tax on alcoholic drinks, saying it will only fuel the burgeoning black market.

The government in the mainly Muslim country plans to replace a luxury tax on alcoholic drinks ranging from 40 to 75 per cent with the much higher excise duty in order to raise revenue and curtail drinking.

But Indonesian Malt Beverage Producers Association (GIMMI) spokesman Ipung Nimpuno said the move was a massive blow to the local brewing industry. ‘The government’s idea to bring in more income for the country is good but the execution of the new excise tax is inappropriate as it will create a bigger alcohol black market,’ he said.

He said the black market already accounted for 80 per cent of the trade in alcoholic drinks in Indonesia and the new duty would only hurt legal producers, who would be forced to increase prices.

Members of GIMMI, including producers of the local Bintang and Anker beers, would pay an additional 800 billion rupiah (S$124 million) in tax annually.

Directorate General of Customs spokesman Evy Suhartantyo said the tax regime for alcoholic drinks was ‘balanced’. ‘It offsets the scrapping of the luxury tax. The increase also is in accordance with our aim to reduce consumption of alcoholic beverages,’ he said.

(Beerbeer) Actually this is a real fact that if the excise duty is high, the black market sure will come in strong, just like what happen in Malaysia. Got so many smuggle and fake beer in the market. Because the consumer demands cheap beer and the supplier will sure provide. Think about it, I think Malaysia should reduce the excise duty to make way for a better legal market.

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(The Star Online) ALOR SETAR: Smugglers are apparently trying to cash in on the demand for liquor for the coming festive season by bringing in the alcoholic drinks from duty-free Langkawi through various means.

This included hiding 8,448 bottles of liquor of various brands in a 12m-long container carrying me tal beds from the island resort.

The contrabrand liquor, worth about RM547,400 with unpaid duties totalling RM826,389, was seized by Customs officers and the Kedah Anti-Smuggling Unit at about 4pm on Monday at the Kuala Kedah jetty near here.

Kedah Customs director Saadon Mohd Dros said the liquor was found hidden behind stacks of boxes containing metal beds in the container which had just arrived from Langkawi.

“The container was declared as carrying metal beds but we decided to make a thorough inspection by bringing it back to our enforcement office in Alor Setar,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

He said the department had questioned a 37-year-old man, who acted as the middleman to bring out the liquor from La ng kawi.

In Penang, a luxury yacht which sailed from Langkawi was found with 253 bottles and cans of liquor and beer with unpaid du ties totaling more than RM40,000 when it was stopped by a Ma laysian Maritime En forcement Agency boat near the Penang Bridge at about 10.15pm on Mon day.

MMEA Maritime 2 (Penang) district enforcement head Com mander Robert Teh Geok Chuan said the yacht’s three crew members were arrested and their sta tements recorded before they were released on police bail.

“We have seized the yacht for investigations and are tracing the owner,” Commander Teh told a press conference in Ge orge Town yesterday.

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