In Sabah’s Papar district, smugglers attempted to hide contraband items in an abandoned container lorry, hoping it would go unnoticed. The lorry, locked with a padlock, was left idle in an open space at Kampung Mikik, about 40km from Kota Kinabalu.
However, their plan was foiled after a tip-off led the police to the spot on Wednesday (Feb 14). Sabah Region Four Marine Police Commander Asst Comm Ahmad Ariffin, along with the district Criminal Investigation Department, discovered the vehicle at about 7pm under an operation dubbed “Ops Landai Gelora”.
Using a bolt cutter, they removed the padlock and found cigarettes and alcoholic drinks inside the container. ACP Ahmad Ariffin stated that they found 505 cartons of alcohol and 101 packs of cigarettes, all with unpaid duty, worth approximately RM840,000.
Following the discovery, the items were brought to the operations base in the Sabah capital to be handed over to the Customs Department for further investigations. ACP Ahmad expressed gratitude to the public for their assistance and urged them to continue cooperating with the police in the future.
