SANDAKAN: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) here foiled an attempt to smuggle approximately 1,700 packets of subsidised cooking oil out of the country early Saturday.
MMEA Sandakan Zone director Kepten Maritim Muhamad Suhairy Hussain, said the seizure took place at around 3.00 am following a public tip-off about a suspicious vessel spotted near the Kampung Combo Fishermen’s Jetty.
Acting on the intelligence, a MMEA team on patrol during Op Sejahtera 1/2022, Op Cegah PATI (OCP), and Op Tiris 4.0 proceeded to the location for inspection.
“Upon spotting the approaching MMEA boat, the individual onboard the boat jumped into the water and escaped into the adjacent mangrove area, abandoning the vessel entirely,” he said in a statement.
A thorough search of the abandoned green-and-yellow boat uncovered 100 black plastic bundles containing subsidised cooking oil packets. Several additional bundles were found floating in the surrounding waters – believed to have been tossed overboard by the suspect in a desperate attempt to destroy evidence and evade capture.
Further inspection confirmed that the seized cargo consisted of roughly 1,700 packets of subsidised cooking oil, all suspected to be stored without valid authorisation or proper documentation.
The boat and confiscated goods, with an estimated total value of RM14,250, were towed to the MMEA Sandakan jetty for further actions.
The case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961, while MMEA has launched efforts to identify and track down the fleeing suspect and any other individuals involved in the smuggling operation. – James Leong
The abandoned boat and contraband cigarettes kept at the MMEA Sandakan jetty on Saturday.
