TAWAU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) busted an undeclared shipment of carrots worth RM3,400 during a routine patrol off Sungai Melayu waters on Tuesday.
The team discovered 1,190kg of carrots in 170 boxes aboard a local cargo vessel around 11.10am.
AdvertisementTawau Maritime Zone Director Shahrizan Raman said their patrol boats conducting Ops Pluto Timur and Ops Tiris spotted the vessel making an exit from Batu 3 waters towards the Malaysia-Indonesia maritime boundary.
The boat was intercepted 0.8 nautical miles north of Sungai Melayu.
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Additionally, the vessel’s licence had no registered operator name.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The boat, its cargo and crew were escorted to the Tawau Maritime Zone Jetty for further investigations.
The total value of the seized items, including the vessel, engine and cargo, is estimated at RM46,000.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The case is being investigated under the Customs Act 1967 and the Ports and Harbours Enactment 2002.
Shahrizan said authorities are investigating possible smuggling attempts to neighbouring countries.
“We are working to uncover the methods used by these operators to evade detection,” he said.
He said maritime enforcement would remain vigilant against illegal activities in local waters, regardless of cargo size.
“The MMEA maintains round-the-clock readiness to respond to cross-border criminal activities,” said, adding the public can report maritime crimes to the Tawau Maritime Zone Operations Centre at 089-750116 or via the emergency line 999.