ALOR STAR, MALAYSIA: Two bonded trucks bearing the same registration numbers was the dead giveaway for a Customs team which found 19,000 litres of liquor with unpaid duties totalling RM320,000 in one of the vehicles that was bound for Pahang.

The team, acting on a tip-off, had gone to the Kuala Kedah cargo jetty near here at 8.45pm on Jan 15. Spotting the two trucks with the same numbers there, they checked both and found the liquor in one of the vehicles while the other contained ceramic pots from Penang which were bound for Langkawi.

After they dismantled the registration plates from the vehicle containing the liquor which originated from Langkawi, a man suddenly appeared and tried to break one of the plates but he was arrested. The driver of the vehicle, in his 40s, was also detained for questioning.

Customs director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid said initial investigation showed that both trucks belonged to a Kedah-based transportation company which was licensed to carry goods between the bonded areas. "This is the first case where someone tried to transport goods with unpaid duties using a bonded truck. Moreover, the department has temporarily stopped the import of liquor since three months ago due to ample supply," he said.

Abdul Rahman said the department had temporarily revoked the bonded truck licence from the transportation company.