KUDAT: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Kudat Maritime Zone thwarted an attempt to smuggle 5,000 litres of petrol and detained a Filipino man near here on Dec 5.
Kudat Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Commander Hasbullah Omar, said a special operation was conducted around the waters of Pulau Mandi Darah to combat fuel smuggling activities, which have seen a spike in cases off the Kudat waters, recently.
AdvertisementFollowing tipoff, he said, a Kudat Maritime Zone patrol boat was deployed to an area approximately 1.6 nautical miles northeast of Telukan Paitan, near Pitas, to investigate.
Upon arrival at about 4.30am, he said the patrol boat spotted a vessel operating without lights.
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“However, one of the suspects was apprehended, while the other managed to escape,” he said in a statement.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Upon inspection, Hasbullah said the boat was found carrying 25 blue barrels filled with petrol, approximately 5,000 litres, believed to be meant for the Philippines.
Further checks revealed that the detained suspect was a 28-year-old Filipino national without any identification documents.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“The boat, along with the suspect and seized items valued at over RM25,000, was detained and brought to the jetty before being handed over to the Kudat Maritime Zone Investigation Officer for further investigation.
“The case is being investigated under the Supply Control Act 1961 and the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said.
Hasbullah said the Kudat Maritime Zone urged the public, especially the maritime community in the district, to assist the MMEA by reporting any information regarding cases or any criminal activities at sea to the MMEA at 088-611858 (Kudat Operations Centre) or the 24-hour emergency hotline 999.
