A 23-year-old man believed to be acting as a transporter was arrested after allegedly attempting to deliver 700 kilogrammes of smuggled durians from the Malaysia-Thailand border to a sales outlet in Pasir Puteh.
The suspect was detained by the General Operations Force (GOF) at about 7.15pm on Thursday at the illegal Abe Li Posmen jetty after he was seen loading the fruits into a Mitsubishi Triton pick-up truck.
GOF Southeast Brigade commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Radzi Hussain said personnel conducting Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan spotted the vehicle behaving suspiciously near the illegal crossing along the banks of Sungai Golok.
A subsequent inspection uncovered 700kg of durians, estimated to be worth RM3,500, which were being transported without valid import documents. Investigators believe several individuals had earlier placed the fruits along the riverbank before loading them into the vehicle driven by the suspect.
During questioning, the man claimed the durians had been ordered by his employer, known only as “Kak Ya”, and that he had been instructed to collect the fruits before delivering them to a business premises about 70 kilometres from the border. He also told authorities it was his first time visiting the illegal jetty and that he had relied on the Waze navigation app to locate the pickup point.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect worked part-time for the employer and was paid between RM60 and RM70 per day, depending on daily durian sales. The durians and the pick-up truck were seized and taken to the GOF Tactical Company in Taman Bakti for further action. The case is being investigated under Section 6 of the Plant Quarantine Act 1976 (Act 167).
