An attempt by a syndicate to smuggle 2.8 tonnes of subsidised cooking oil to Thailand using two Perodua Alza vehicles has been foiled in two separate operations in Pasir Puteh and Pasir Mas.
The operations, carried out under Op Tiris 4.0 involving the Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) Special Intelligence and Action Unit (URTK) and Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), resulted in the arrest of a 27-year-old local man.
Another suspect managed to escape after jumping into a river when the vehicle he was driving crashed into a hut while attempting to flee from enforcement officers.
Kelantan KPDN director Hanif Yusabra Yusuf said intelligence operations conducted between 12.20pm and 1.30pm led authorities to detect two Perodua Alza vehicles, believed to have been used by the syndicate to transport subsidised cooking oil for illegal export.
He said enforcement officers tracked both vehicles to a location believed to be where the supply was obtained before carrying out the raids.
“In the first raid at Jalan Pasir Puteh near a petrol station, the driver of the red Perodua Alza was arrested. Inspection found the vehicle was carrying 1,445kg of subsidised cooking oil packets from various brands.
“The second blue Perodua Alza fled before crashing into a hut at Kampung Jakar, Banggol Che Dol, Pasir Mas. The driver jumped into a river in an attempt to avoid arrest,” he said in a statement.
A further inspection of the abandoned vehicle discovered 80 boxes containing 1,360kg of subsidised cooking oil believed to have been prepared for smuggling into the neighbouring country.
Hanif Yusabra said authorities seized both vehicles and a total of 2.8 tonnes of subsidised cooking oil, with the estimated total value of the seizure amounting to RM43,000.
The case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961, while efforts to trace the escaped suspect are ongoing.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation in Rantau Panjang, the General Operations Force (GOF) detained a man and seized 350kg of durians believed to have been brought from Thailand.
The seizure was carried out by the GOF 9th Battalion under Op Taring Wawasan at an illegal jetty in Abe Li Posmen.
GOF Southeast Brigade commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Radzi Hussain said the team detected a suspicious four-wheel-drive vehicle during a patrol at about 9.30am.
He said inspections found 350kg of durians, with the total seizure including the vehicle estimated at more than RM50,000.
The 20-year-old driver failed to provide relevant documents for the fruits and was detained for further investigation.
Ahmad Radzi said preliminary questioning found that the durians were ordered by the suspect’s employer through WhatsApp, with the suspect claiming he was only tasked with collecting and transporting the fruits to Pasir Puteh for sale.
The case is being investigated under Section 6 of the Plant Quarantine Act 1976 (Act 167).
