MMEA foils attempt to smuggle cannabis worth almost RM150,000

KANGAR: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Kuala Perlis Maritime Zone foiled an attempt to smuggle in 30 kilogrammes (kg) of compressed cannabis lumps, worth almost RM150,000, in ‘Op Khas’ conducted in Kuala Perlis waters on Thursday.

Kedah and Perlis Maritime director, First Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah, said the seizure was a result of intelligence conducted by the MMEA special operations team which managed to detect a fibre boat, from a neighbouring country, entering the Kuala Perlis waters at 2.26 nautical miles northwest of Kuala Perlis estuary, at 1.42 am.

“Realising the presence of a MMEA patrol boat, two male suspects, believed to be locals, dumped a black plastic package into the sea before turning back to the neighbouring country (Thailand),” he told reporters on Thursday.

Mohd Zawawi said that inspection of the black plastic package found that there was a red gunny sack containing 30 compressed cannabis lumps with an estimated weight of 30 kilogrammes.

“Throwing goods into the sea is one of the tactics used by most syndicates that carry out smuggling activities, to deceive the authorities and to slow down the MMEA boats chasing them,” he said.

He said that, from the information obtained, it was found that the syndicate used the ‘barter trade’ method, where a syndicate from Thailand bring cannabis into the country in exchange for ketum leaves.

He added that this was the second seizure and the largest thus far in 2022 for the Kuala Perlis Maritime Zone; the case would be investigated under Section 39 (B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.