KOTA BHARU, May 26 — The Marine Police (PPM) thwarted an attempt to smuggle Thai rice into the country with the seizure of 44 packets of the contraband, weighing about 1.1 tonnes, in an operation in Kampung Mahligai near Gunong, Bachok, yesterday.
PPM Region Three Commander ACP Zulafendy Hassan said the seizure was made at about 11 am during Ops Taring Landai/Contraband when the PPM team spotted a white Hino lorry in a suspicious condition on Jalan Kota Bharu-Pasir Puteh.
He said the driver accelerated upon realising he was being followed, then stopped the vehicle by the side of Kampung Mahligai Road before fleeing into the nearby undergrowth.
“A check on the lorry found it was carrying 44 packets of Thai rice, weighing about 25 kilogrammes each. The total value of the seizure, including the lorry, is RM84,400,” he said in a statement today.
Zulafendy said the seized items were taken to the PPM Region Three Operations Headquarters, Pengkalan Kubor and then handed over to the Kota Bharu beach of the National Padi and Rice Regulatory Department for further action.
He said PPM Region Three would continue to intensify efforts to combat cross-border criminal activities that threaten the country’s security and economy.
Members of the public with information related to smuggling activities are urged to contact PPM Region Three via 09-5137726 or any nearby police station. The identity of the informants will be kept strictly confidential. — Bernama
