TAWAU: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) foiled an attempt to smuggle nearly 700 packs of subsidised cooking oil using a cargo boat near the Malaysia-Indonesia maritime border at around 10.40pm on Friday.
MMEA detected the suspiciously fast-moving cargo boat leaving Batu 3 Jalan Apas waters during a patrol under Ops Khas Pagar Laut.
A 35-year-old local man, identified as the boat’s skipper, was arrested 2.4 nautical miles southwest of Sungai Kinabutan Kecil.
The cargo comprising 680 packs of cooking oil and 28 filled LPG gas cylinders was seized after the skipper failed to produce transport authorisation documents.
The total value of the seized goods, including the cargo boat and engine, was estimated at RM50,000.
