The ministry’s Disease Control Division director Dr Norhayati Rusli said the compound notices were issued for offences under the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations 2004.

She added that 284 of the notices were issued to individuals for smoking in prohibited areas and 28 notices were issued to owners for failing to ensure there was no smoking activity in the premises.

“Besides that, 14 compound notices were issued to the owners for failing to display the smoking ban sign.

“Another nine notices were issued to owners for failing to display the sign on the smoking ban for minors and the pictorial health warning on the premises,” she told reporters here last night.

The operation, which took place between 6pm and 11pm, involved the participation of 220 officers from the health ministry, domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry, the police, customs department, and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

During the operation, 147 packets of cigarettes were seized under Section 5 of the Trade Description Act 2011 while an undisclosed amount of cigarettes, which were believed to have been smuggled into the country, were also confiscated.

Besides that, DBKL also issued two compound notices for offences involving the employment of foreign workers without a valid work permit and one compound notice for operating a business without a licence.