Isham Jalil says the excuses put forward by the government are not fact-driven and defy logic.

Maxim Marchenko and two unnamed Russian co-conspirators were accused of using his shell companies to conceal the fraudulent procurement of so-called OLED micro-displays.

The drugs had an estimated market value of RM650,000.

Jose Cruz Noguez received the sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to bring in undocumented migrants and bringing in undocumented migrants for financial gain.

Deputy Finance Minister Steven Sim says the authorities will continue their efforts to combat the smuggling of cigarettes and alcohol to curb the leakage of tax revenue.

Questions will also be asked about the rise in child abuse cases at childcare centres, the large-scale smart padi field programme and the ringgit.

The indictments are part of a broader effort by US President Joe Biden's administration to disrupt smuggling networks as border arrests near 2 million this fiscal year, which began last October.

For some, smuggling is a matter of course but for others, illegal activities are far more dangerous.

The sanctions target senior security and justice officials, prominent media figures, a son of Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko, defence-related firms and a major fertiliser exporter.

The drugs, estimated to weigh some 200kg, were hidden in a box declared as electronic goods.