[UPDATED] RM1.63mil worth of drones declared as kitchen towels seized

PETALING JAYA: A shipment declared as kitchen towels that arrived at North Port, Port Klang last month was found to contain 20 agricultural drones instead.
The drones, with an estimated value of RM1.63 million, were shipped from a neighbouring country.
Customs Department assistant director-general Raizam Setapa @ Mustapha said the container was detected at 5.15pm on April 23.
"Our officers, in collaboration with representatives from the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim), scanned the container and discovered 20 drones inside, instead of kitchen towels," she told reporters today.
"I would like to emphasise that the importation of electronic goods such as drones requires a Certificate of Approval (CoA) from Sirim before they can be legally brought into Malaysia."
Raizam said the drones were believed to have been imported from an Asian country for the local market, specifically for agricultural purposes.
"This marks the first case of its kind involving the seizure of large-scale drones," she said.
"We have recorded statements from several individuals, including the forwarding agent and the importer."
In a separate case, Raizam said 21,351 litres of illicit alcoholic beverages, valued at RM2.81 million, were seized at North Port, Port Klang on May 7.
The shipment was declared as furniture in an attempt to evade detection.
"We believe the consignment, which originated from a neighbouring country, was intended for distribution within the local market," she said.

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