Nik Yusaimi Yussof, secretary of the ministry’s regulatory and enforcement division, said the items were seized at several locations in Penang, Selangor, Johor and Kedah, and are believed to have been imported from China and Japan.

Nik Yusaimi said the ministry also confiscated more than 4,000 publications, such as books and magazines.

These publications went against the moral and sociocultural values of Malaysian society, he said, running afoul of Sections 7(1) and 3(4) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

“The sale and distribution of these items have been on the rise online. They are even being openly sold at business premises,” he told a press conference here.

The home ministry also temporarily shut down three printing premises in Seri Kembangan and Klang on suspicion of operating without a licence. Printing machines worth about RM600,000 were seized.