Customs seizes 701 refurbished iPhones hidden in vegetable boat
AYER KEROH: A total of 701 refurbished iPhones of various models were seized by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Melaka.
Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Melaka seized 701 refurbished iPhones from a boat arriving from Indonesia, valued at RM716,184. The phones, ranging from iPhone 11 to iPhone 16 Pro Max models, were hidden inside the vessel under black plastic, concealed among 250 empty boxes. According to Melaka Customs director Roslan Yusoff, the phones were smuggled without declaring or paying the required export duties and must have been obtained in Malaysia.
The seizure complied with Tariff Code 8517.13.000, subject to a 5 percent tax, and necessitated a permit from the Department of Environment. Preliminary reports suggest the phones could be sold for around RM1,000 in the country of destination. Eleven foreign crew members aged between 34 and 61 and a local man in his 30s were detained during the operation, which investigated Section 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967.
Roslan also reported the interception of 870,000 cigarettes valued at RM811,180, worth of duties and taxes, concealed in a bonded lorry at Kuala Lipis, Pahang.
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