KOTA BARU, MALAYSIA: The monsoon season brings hardship to many people. For smugglers, though, it is the season to ply their trade.

State Customs department director Azis Yaakop said the department had to be extra vigilant during the monsoon season as smuggling activities would be on the rise.

"This is why our men are doing a 24-hour monitoring of popular smuggling points in Rantau Panjang, Bukit Bunga and Pengkalan Kubur," he said, adding that the department managed to seize RM3.2 million(S$1.33 mil) worth of smuggled goods so far this year.

"I want to warn would-be smugglers that we will nab them as soon as they enter the country or vice-versa," he said at a press conference here.

Azis added that a total of 420 officers would be on standby to check on smuggling activities.

Azis said the department's enforcement unit's biggest seizure was 35,940 cartons of Indonesian clove or kretek cigarettes and 17,117 cartons of other types of cigarettes, valued at RM550,922.60.

He said the latest seizure was on Dec 1 when 1,200 pieces of batik cloth worth RM7,200 with a tax value of RM2,304 was recovered at Transport Jalan Bayam, Kota Baru.

"The next day, 3,800 cartoons of cigarettes worth RM38,000 with tax amounting RM265,240 were seized at an old hut at Kampung Padang Rokma, Wakaf Baru, Kelantan.

"We have arrested 32 people aged between 20 and 60 years in connection with a variety of cases," he said.