Malaysian Customs foils RM716,000 iPhone smuggling attempt

The Melaka Royal Malaysian Customs Department foiled an attempt to smuggle 701 refurbished iPhones out of Malaysia. The devices, valued at approximately RM716,184 including taxes, were discovered during an inspection of a boat at a jetty in Port Klang, Selangor, around 4:30 am on July 23.

The boat, which had arrived from Indonesia to deliver a consignment of vegetables, was scheduled to depart carrying only 250 empty fiber boxes. However, inspectors found the mobile phones, ranging from iPhone 11 to iPhone 16 Pro Max models, concealed in several boxes wrapped in black plastic inside the vessel.

As used goods, the phones required a permit from the Department of Environment and were subject to a five per cent tax. Authorities detained 11 foreign crew members, aged between 34 and 61, and a local man in his 30s representing the shipping agent. The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967.