JOHOR BARU, June 20 — A 51-year-old man was arrested after he attempted to bribe a team of policemen with RM18,000 during a raid on his house in Taman Air Biru in Pasir Gudang here yesterday.
Seri Alam police chief Superintendent Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said the male suspect, believed to be behind a contraband alcohol beverage operation, attempted to bribe the raiding team several times in the 2pm operation that was led by the Region Two Marine Police Force.
“We warned the suspect several times to refrain from attempting to bribe the team with the RM18,000 in cash, but he still insisted on doing so.
“Police then arrested the man after their warnings went unheeded,” he told reporters during a media conference held at the Seri Alam district police headquarters here today.
The man and his 48-year-old Nepali employee have been using his house as a storage facility for contraband alcoholic beverages.
Mohd Sohaimi said checks revealed that the suspect was also the registered owner of the house that stored 60 boxes of untaxed liquor consisting of various brands.
“The foreigner was employed by the older suspect as a storekeeper for the contraband beverages,” he said.
Mohd Sohaimi said police seized 20 boxes of Ishtar Extra Strong, eight cases of Wrinkler Beer, eight cases of Skol Super, five cases of MC Dowells and two cases of Signature Whisky.
He said the total value of the seizure was estimated to be RM67,791.
“Initial investigations revealed that the contraband alcohol beverages were obtained in Johor,” he said.
Mohd Sohaimi said the main suspect had a previous case involving possession of untaxed alcohol in 2022, while the worker had a clean record.
“Both suspects also tested negative for drug abuse,” he added.
Police have initiated investigations under Section 135 (1) (d) of the Customs Act 1967 for being in possession, storage or concealment of untaxed goods.
The employee has been remanded under Section 116C of the Customs Act 1967 for five days until June 24.
Police have since handed over the main suspect to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) under Section 17 (b) of the MACC Act 2009.
