Police have seized agarwood and related equipment worth over RM106 million during a major enforcement operation targeting illegal wildlife and forestry activities in Melaka.
The coordinated raids, part of ‘Op Bersepadu Khazanah (OBK)’, were carried out on 31 July at two separate locations — a factory in the Bukit Rambai Industrial Estate and a residential home in Ayer Keroh Heights. The operation was led by Bukit Aman’s Special Investigation Intelligence team, following a tip-off and weeks of surveillance.
According to Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar, both premises were found involved in the unlicensed possession, processing, storage, and trading of agarwood, also known locally as karas — a highly valuable and protected species under Malaysia’s National Forestry Act 1984.
Among the items seized were:
- 12,178 kg of karas wood
- 5,783 kg of karas powder
- 2,585.2 kg of karas resin
- 10 boxes of karas weighing around 100 kg
- 43.84 cubic metres of other wood species
- 167 imported wood stumps
Three suspects were detained during the operation — two undocumented Myanmar nationals at the factory, and a 55-year-old local woman, the owner of the house in Ayer Keroh. Investigations confirmed that neither location had been registered or licensed by the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department or the Melaka State Forestry Department.
Dzulkhairi revealed that the illegal agarwood processing and trading operation had been active for over a year, with products believed to have been supplied both locally and abroad. Authorities are now investigating possible links between the syndicate and three separate reports of agarwood theft from protected Melaka forest areas earlier this year.
The raid was conducted in collaboration with nine enforcement agencies, including the Forestry Department, Inland Revenue Board (IRB), Domestic Trade Ministry (KPDN), Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Melaka City Council (MBMB), and Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ).
The case is being investigated under various laws including the National Forestry Act 1984, Immigration Act, and the Wood-Based Industries Enactment, alongside violations involving unlicensed business operations.
