Malaysia’s efforts to scale back smoking by increasing excise taxes on cigarettes failed. Instead of reduce their habits, smokers turned to illegal cigarettes and made a boom. We’re also the earth’s largest consumers of illegal cigarettes, buying 1,000 packs a minute.
Oxford Economics recently released a claim indicating that Malaysia lost almost RM4.8 billion in excise taxes last year. One study affirmed that Malaysians bought over 12 billion sticks of illegal cigarettes this particular past year. Oxford Economics said illegal cigarettes represent 58,9 percent of any nicotine products purchased from the state.

RM 1 Billion of Illegal Cigarettes Seized
To address the billions of lost revenue, the authorities agencies conducted many raids to foil smuggling attempts at border checkpoints. Up to now, the Customs Department seized illegal cigarettes with revenues worth RM1 billion. These illegal operations are clearly the earth’s biggest lucrative syndicate.
Bribery & Corruption in Law Enforcement
Raids and seizures by the authorities have limited have an effect on the challenge. An all-out assault is necessary to overcome the illicit tobacco trade. Smuggling syndicates can flout legal requirements and influence enforcement personnel through bribery. Malaysia’s attractiveness as global investment destination could be impacted by this perception of corruption, Oxford Economics informed.
This condition is simply not unfounded, as a whopping 80 per cent of police force and security personnel at Malaysian borders are reportedly corrupt. Everyday sale of illegal cigarettes generates huge profits which might be channeled into more smuggling as well as other varieties of criminal activities.
Terrorism Organisation Linked To Illegal Cigarette Business
The illegal cigarette trade have become perceived as linked to terrorism at the same time. Crime prevention groups together with the Home Ministry have recently seeing connections in between the growing illegal cigarette business and terrorist organisations. A number of them have set up base in Malaysia to improve funds for activities.
Bribing border officials is actually a small expense for smugglers, relative to the enormous revenue they earn. However, these crime syndicates also leverage threats for getting what they desire. They can be brazen enough to use whatever means required to influence officials into working with them.
Weak Punishment Leads To More Crime
Smuggling is really a worsening issue particularly with weak penalties for smugglers, poor border controls, low arrest rates and high tobacco taxes creating disparity between neighbouring countries. The only way to tackle this concern is always to steer clear of the corruption and suffice off within the main source, namely the syndicates.
The government should introduce harsher punishment greater penalties across the logistics, including heavier fines and imprisonment. It might be an increasingly effective deterrent if each and every players, from the smugglers to individual operators like distributors and retailers, are susceptible to all of the force of the law.