The General Operations Force (PGA) seized 20,000 coffee seedlings worth RM700,000 from a lorry in front of Masjid Kampung Rahmat, Rantau Panjang, yesterday.
The operation, carried out at about 6.30pm by the 9th Battalion PGA under Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan, also led to the arrest of a 39-year-old lorry driver.
Southeast Brigade PGA Commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Radzi Hussain said a Hino lorry estimated to be worth RM180,000 was also seized, bringing the total value of the confiscated items to RM880,000.
He said the team spotted the lorry during a patrol and stopped it after finding the vehicle’s movements suspicious.
“An inspection of the lorry found 20,000 coffee seedlings stored at the back of the vehicle. The driver was asked to provide documents related to the seedlings and he produced an invoice from a nursery.
“The man was arrested, while the lorry and seedlings were seized and brought to the PGA Taman Bakti Control Post for documentation before being handed over to the Kelantan Agriculture Department,” he said in a statement today.
Ahmad Radzi said the case is being investigated under Section 6 of the Plant Quarantine Act 1976 (Act 167).
He added that the seedlings are believed to have been smuggled from Thailand through an unauthorised route and are suspected of carrying pests and plant diseases.
During questioning, the driver claimed he worked for his family’s company and received between RM3,000 and RM4,000 in salary depending on the number of delivery trips completed.
The seedlings were reportedly being transported to Gua Musang.
Ahmad Radzi said monitoring and enforcement efforts will continue to be strengthened to curb the smuggling of seedlings from Thailand, especially those that may pose risks due to pests and diseases.
