KUDAT: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Kudat Maritime Zone foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 10,000 litres of petrol out of Kudat waters on Tuesday.
Kudat Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Commander Hasbullah Omar, said the operation was the result of intelligence gathered by the Kudat Maritime Zone Intelligence Unit, which detected the activity at approximately 1am on Tuesday.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Acting on this information, he said Maritime Malaysia’s patrol asset, Boat Kilat 48, was immediately deployed to the location for surveillance.
“Upon arrival at the scene, approximately 1.1 nautical miles northwest of Tanjung Meniagit, Kudat, two boats were spotted moving slowly in the dark,” Hasbullah said.
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He added that the two abandoned boats were detained for inspection, led to the discovery of 51 blue drums filled with petrol, estimated to contain more than 10,000 litres in total.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“Further inspection revealed that neither boat had any valid documents or permits, and the petrol was believed to be intended for smuggling into the Philippines,” he said.
According to Hasbullah, the boats and seized goods, were valued at approximately RM70,000, were taken to Kudat Marina Jetty for further investigation.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He said the case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 for transporting controlled goods without a valid permit.
Meanwhile, the Kudat Maritime Zone has urged the public, especially the maritime community in Kudat waters, to cooperate with authorities in combating smuggling activities and maritime crimes.
Any relevant information can be reported to the Kudat Operations Center at 088-611858 or via the 999 emergency hotline, which operates 24 hours a day.
