Johor Baru, Malaysia A total of 23,600kg of frozen beef and 4,950 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized in separate raids by the Johor Customs department.

In the first operation, department officers, acting on a tip-off, stopped a lorry filled with the frozen beef along the North-South Expressway near Senai at about 2.40am on June 27.

They seized 1,100 boxes of beef worth about RM141,600 (S$59,200) and detained the 39-year-old driver.

State Customs director Mhd Subre Ishak said initial investigations revealed that the beef was imported from Australia and New Zealand.

"We did not find any documents or permits for the beef," he said.

In another operation, police seized contraband "Canyon" and "Ruby Red" cigarettes worth RM178,200 (S$74,500) after a raid at a warehouse in the JB Perdana Industrial area at 2.45pm on Saturday.

"We believe the cigarettes were manufactured in the United States and involved RM451,737 (S$188,900) worth of taxes," he said.

Mhd Subre also explained that the department seized a total of RM32.9mil (S$13.8 mil) worth of smuggled items between January and May this year.

He added that steel products topped the list at RM10.2mil (S$4.3 mil) worth of items, cigarettes (RM5.8mil) (S$2.4 mil) and alcohol (RM1.4mil) (S$600,000).

Mhd Subre urged those with information on smuggling activities to contact the Customs toll-free hotline at 1-800-8888-55 or 07-222 5666 or 07-2181 666.