Nine diesel smugglers held
Culprits transferring oil into tanker vessel
PORT KLANG: An attempt to smuggle almost 500,000 litres of subsidised diesel was thwarted when authorities caught the culprits redhanded as they were transferring the commodity into a tanker vessel at a jetty here.
“The diesel, estimated to be worth Rm1.2mil in the global market, is the biggest haul in the country this year,” said Selangor Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and consumerism enforcement chief Othman Nawang.
He said that both his department and Marine Police had monitored the illegal activity for a month before making their move at 3pm on Wednesday.
Seven Myanmar crewmen and two local lorry drivers were arrested during the raid at Awal Idaman jetty in Pulau Indah.
Besides the diesel, the authorities seized a tanker trailer as well as the tanker vessel.
“Their modus operandi is to collect diesel from various petrol stations in Selangor before depositing it into the vessel. In previous cases, usually they would use jerry cans or modified lorries but in this case, they used a tanker,” said Othman.
He said this was the 11th case of diesel smuggling this year, adding that about Rm4mil of fuel had been seized so far.
Last year, 139 cases were recorded with Rm4.3mil worth of fuel seized.
Port Klang Marine Police operations team commanding officer Deputy Supt Norzaid Muhammad Said told reporters that the tanker was transferring diesel into the Sierra Leoneregistered MT Baltic Unity when the raid took place.
“There were about 452,940 litres of diesel already in the vessel while another 13,650 litres had yet to be transferred,” he added.
He said the vessel could carry up to 800,000 litres, or almost 23 tanker-loads, of diesel. “All the suspects are being investigated under Section 21 of the Supply Control Act.”