The 10th Battalion of the General Operation Force (GOF) seized 1,361 cartons of contraband liquor worth RM259,000 in a raid on a storeroom in Jalan Oya Lama here yesterday.

Its commanding officer Supt Mohammad Hafiz Kadir said during the raid, a 31-year-old woman, believed to be the storekeeper was also detained.

He said initial investigations found that the modus operandi of the smugglers was to use several storerooms in the suburbs of Sibu to keep smuggled goods such as cigarettes and firecrackers for distribution around the town and to avoid detection by the authorities.

"All the seized items have been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Sibu district police headquarters for further action," he said in a statement today.

-- BERNAMA