Marine police in the eastern coast of Sandakan district successfully intercepted an attempted smuggling operation to transport subsidised cooking oil to the neighboring islands in the Philippines. The criminals, however, managed to escape when they spotted a marine police patrol boat approaching. The incident took place on Sunday at Kampung Sugai Bakau, where the smugglers were unloading the oil packages stored in sacks at a riverbank. The smugglers fled towards a swamp along the river, leaving behind the cooking oil loaded onto a vehicle. Marine police sources revealed that they discovered the group of men unloading goods from the vehicle during their routine patrol of the riverbank area. In total, the marine police seized 850 packets of subsidised cooking oil, which is estimated to be worth around RM2,125. The vehicle used in the smuggling operation was also confiscated. The entire seizure is estimated to have a value of about RM28,000. Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Ariffin, the commander of Marine Police Region 4, has confirmed that the case will be handed over to the Sandakan branch of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
