Latest news with #000
Daily Express
20 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Pakistani man held with RM93,000 worth of untaxed cigarettes
Published on: Friday, June 20, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 20, 2025 Text Size: The detained suspect and the seized items. BEAUFORT: A Pakistani man was arrested for allegedly possessing over 23,000 sticks of various cigarette brands suspected to be untaxed, worth more than RM90,000 in Kampung Bingkul here, Info X reported. The 38-year-old suspect was stopped around 6.30pm in a Toyota Vios by officers from the Marine Police Force (PPM) Labuan Operations Base. Advertisement Sabah Region Four PPM Commander ACP Nazri Ibrahim said the operation followed intelligence gathered by the Marine Intelligence Unit under Op Taring Landai Khas Kontraban. The vehicle was found parked suspiciously behind a sundry shop in Kampung Bingkul, where officers moved in once the driver exited the car. A search uncovered the untaxed cigarettes hidden inside the vehicle, and both the contraband and the vehicle were seized, with the case now under investigation under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
New Straits Times
20 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
High Court upholds senior cop's one-year jail sentence for graft
KUANTAN: The High Court here today upheld the jail sentence and fine imposed on a senior police officer convicted of accepting a RM5,000 bribe in connection with a drug case seven years ago. Judge Datuk Mohd Radzi Harun dismissed the appeal by Assistant Superintendent Hasbullah Ali Alias, 48, against the one-year jail term and RM25,000 fine meted out by the Sessions Court here on Dec 15, 2023. Hasbullah, who is attached to the Pahang Narcotics Crime Investigation Department, was charged with receiving a bribe from a man at a restaurant in Jalan Beserah here at 12.37pm on May 7, 2018. The prosecution was handled by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Asraf Mohamed Tahir, while the accused was represented by lawyer Ahmad Nur Faid Afiq Aziz. Ahmad Nur Faid applied for a stay of execution, pending Hasbullah's appeal at the Court of Appeal. Asraf told the court to impose a higher bail amount to ensure that Hasbullah attends court. Radzi granted the stay, offering bail at RM15,000 and ordered the accused to report to the nearest MACC office on the first Monday of every month. Hasbullah was told to surrender his passport until the case concludes. Hasbullah, who has been suspended from duty, has 14 days to file an appeal to a higher court.
IOL News
34 minutes ago
- Business
- IOL News
Green Shoots: When having a flutter is no longer fun
I was caught up in Johannesburg traffic the other day, and crawling along the M1 highway allowed me to take in the many billboards whose sole purpose is to convince you to buy what it is they are offering. And most of these offerings were from online gambling services. I saw Betway and Hollywood Bets promising me great excitement and wealth with minimal effort – I can place my bet anywhere, anytime, and on almost anything. You will have seen these adverts all over our television screens, and heard them on radio. Some of our favourite sports teams have been renamed according to their sponsors – Hollywood Bets Sharks is my rugby team of choice, and they play their home games at Hollywood Bets Kings Park Stadium, up the road from Hollywood Bets Kingsmead Stadium where cricket is played. And fan favourite rugby world cup winner Makazole Mapimpi is their brand ambassador, along with soccer legends like Teko Modise and Jerry Sikhosana. Gambling in this country is big business. Gross gambling revenue (GGR) was R59 billion in 2024. Since COVID in 2020, this revenue growth has been at 42% per year. Gambling is a significant contributor to economic activity and apparently supports 32 000 jobs, with most revenue generated in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. I'm a little concerned about this phenomenon. We are suckers for a slick advertising campaign, and the saturation messaging of these betting platforms should be cause for concern – indeed, alarm – in more sections of our community, including government and the appropriate regulatory authorities. I found online information on gambling fairly easily, and so I clearly am not alone in feeling uneasy. Industry research says that the reasons respondents give for their gambling appear to be increasingly connected to financial strain, with more than half of surveyed punters saying they gambled because they needed the money. This survey clearly provided the option for multiple answers, because more than two thirds were hoping to win a large sum of money, and down the list somewhere 14% said they had lost their job. When the bet is placed because you need to survive, you know you're in trouble. The online source of my data is an investment firm, and they say that 'problem gambling' prevalence has increased five-fold since 2017, with 21% of problem gamblers unemployed and 84% earning under R15,000 per month. People, we have a problem. And this isn't even considering those for whom gambling is an addiction they cannot beat. Imagine trying to quit a habit when every corner and screen and broadcast is almost brow-beating you to place the bet. Some may say the tax revenue that is generated should be able to ameliorate the social costs ofgambling. Apparently casinos paid about 10% of their revenue in taxes last year, and betting platforms a paltry 7%. Is that supposed to ease the destruction that this practice has for people who are not recreational gamblers? For perspective, cigarettes are taxed at 40% and spirit alcohol at 36%. You don't see your favourite tipple on the telly anymore, and we're a short step from having cigarette packets with no branding expect really disturbing pictures of what happens to your gums when you smoke (I saw those in Thailand recently). I am no prude, and I have been known to wager a bit every now and then. I am no advocate for a nanny state – we cannot over-regulate the choices and behaviour of grown up people. And I know that jobs are at stake. Apparently Tsogo Gaming and Sun International employ half the gambling industry's workforce. With the lower cost and greater accessibility of online platforms, there is a real danger of job losses. For all these reasons, will the authorities please see reason and common sense, and control the bombardment of advertising of these online betting platforms.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Illegal gold mining equipment seized in Jeli raid
JELI: Police and the Land and Mines Office have seized illegal gold mining equipment worth RM23,000 during a raid at Felcra Air Degong, in Jeli Tepi Sungai sub-district, Ayer Lanas. The operation led to the seizure of seven water pumps and two sluicing machines believed to have been used for unlicensed mining activities. District police chief Superintendent Kamarulzaman Harun said no arrests were made, as the suspects had fled before the raiding party arrived. "All the seized equipment has been handed over to PTG (Land and Mines Office) for further action," he said today. Kamarulzaman warned the public not to get involved in illegal mining, adding that police remain committed to curbing trespassing, smuggling and unlawful activities along the nation's borders.
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
Johor KPDN Busts LPG Misappropriation Syndicate, Seizes Goods Worth RM200,000
KLUANG, June 20 (Bernama) -- The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) in Johor has crippled a syndicate misappropriating subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) operating under the guise of a palm oil weighing centre in Machap on Wednesday. Its director, Lilis Saslinda Pornomo, said the scheme was uncovered during a joint raid with the Putrajaya branch at 8 pm, during which they discovered 1,176 gas cylinders, both empty and filled, estimated to weigh 4,000 kilogrammes (kg) and worth RM200,000. Also found at the premises was a lorry tank. 'The modus operandi of the syndicate is using an old storage facility behind the palm oil collection and weighing centre to transfer subsidised 14kg LPG into a lorry tank using a method known as decanting.
