Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the department also busted an international drug cartel and managed to seize 16 tonnes of drugs worth RM5.2 billion.

“With the stellar performance, I’m confident the department can continue to do a good job as an economic frontliner to drive the growth of the country’s GDP,” he said in a speech when officiating the 40th World Customs Day this afternoon.

Meanwhile, finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz remained optimistic about the projection for Malaysia’s GDP growth of between 5.5% and 6.5%.

He said revenue collection from the customs department would help towards the growth.

“Based on economic indicators such as the recovery of the labour market and trade activities, I’m confident that our country will remain on the path to economic recovery in 2022,” he said in the same event.

Citing World Bank data between 2000 and 2019, he said the number of containers docked at the country’s ports had increased from 4.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) to 26.2 million TEU.

“This achievement reflects Malaysia’s status as one of the main trading partners in the region,” he added.

We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.