Seized – diesel on Miri vessel, petrol at Kubang Pasu store
MIRI: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency here has seized a vessel with 250,000l of diesel worth RM450,000 on board.
MMEA Miri chief Kapt Mohd Fauzi Othman said a patrol unit made the seizure three days ago in the South China Sea, several nautical miles offshore from here.
A Malaysian and two Indian nationals, aged between 25 and 35 who were the crew members, had been arrested.
“Investigations showed that the vessel and crew did not have proper documents and licence to transport the fuel,” he said.
The patrol unit had been eyeing the vessel since Sept 8 for its suspicious activities, he added.
MMEA is now probing the vessel’s ownership and the source of the diesel, besides its intended destination.
In Kubang Pasu, Bernama reports that the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry seized 20,000l of petrol valued at RM44,000, believed to be subsidised, at an illegal store in Kampung Padang Satu, Bukit Kayu Hitam.
The ministry’s Kubang Pasu branch head Mohamad Amir Abdullah said the petrol was confiscated during a raid yesterday on the premises that did not have a permit or a licence to sell the controlled item.
He said a 25-year-old man, who was the storekeeper of the premises, was detained.
“The petrol was found in two tanks, with 11,000l in the first tank and 9,000l in the second.
“We believe it was bought from wholesalers in Kedah and Penang at RM2.20 a litre, as well as from petrol stations,” Mohamad Amir said.
He said petrol was normally sold at RM2.25 a litre to consumers from a neighbouring country, who would come in modified pickup trucks.
“It is then smuggled to their country at certain times to be sold at higher prices,” he said, adding that on the average, about 3,000l of petrol were sold every day to buyers at the store.
He said the illegal store had been in operation for about two years, and was equipped with closed-circuit television to detect the presence of enforcement officers.
It also had an automatic gate, which opens by remote control.
Mohamad Amir said the store, located next to the Bukit Kayu Hitam industrial area, was believed to have been rented by a syndicate.
The case is being investigated under Section 21 of the Supplies Act, which provides for a fine of up to RM1mil and imprisonment up to three years, or both.