KUALA LUMPUR, 10 September 2025 — In a coordinated enforcement operation codenamed “Op Lung”, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), with support from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, has arrested two individuals—a company director and a manager—suspected of orchestrating cigarette and liquor smuggling via manipulated import and export declarations.
The arrests took place on Tuesday when both suspects, aged in their 30s and 40s and representing two separate firms, arrived at MACC headquarters to give statements. Subsequent raids on 15 affiliated companies and five storage facilities uncovered a wide array of liquor brands that appeared to have been smuggled into the country without proper tax declarations, setting off alarm bells across enforcement agencies.
Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki revealed that the value of undeclared taxes uncovered so far stands at RM500,000, a figure expected to escalate as investigations expand. In parallel, enforcement teams have taken legal action to freeze 14 company accounts and four individual accounts, freezing a total of RM2.4 million under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
The probe now encompasses multiple facets of illicit activity—including corruption, fraud, false declarations, money laundering, and comprehensive tracing of related assets. While both suspects are remanded for a three-day period, the MACC has cautioned that more arrests are anticipated as “Op Lung” continues to unravel what officials believe is a sprawling smuggling network.
