Subsidized goods, four boats seized
TAWAU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) seized subsidized products and cosmetics from Thailand worth about RM28,335.60 from four local tow boats during Ops Pluto Timur at Timur Laut Sg. Hj Kuning waters at about 5.30pm on January 19.
Its director Romli Mustafa said an MMEA team intercepted the four boats and found 240 boxes of cooking oil worth RM10,000, 219 boxes of flour (RM5,781.60), 30 bags of sugar (RM2,124), 409 bags of rice (RM5,000), 157 boxes of Thailand cosmetics (RM4,710) as well as four LPG gas cylinder tanks (RM720).
MMEA officers also detained eight suspects aged between 26 and 49 for failing to produce permits to own and carry the subsidized products and cosmetics. Five of them are Malaysians, including two having been detained before, while three were documented Indonesians.
Romli said they were workers who carried the products from point A to point B. They were not working in a group.
“We also seized the four tow boats with their two units of 40HP engines each, worth about RM240,000.
Romli said the four boats possessed valid licences.
“This case will be investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and Poison Act 1952 which carries a fine up to RM100,000 or a jail term of not more than three years, if convicted,” Romli said.