TUMPAT: The Kelantan branch of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has detected 96 illegal stores believed to be involved in smuggling activities along the banks of Sungai Golok, which is located at the Malaysia-Thailand border.
Kelantan KPDN director Azman Ismail said all the stores are situated between Pengkalan Kubor and Jeli.
“Our enforcement team conducted a raid under the two-day Integrated Ops from Dec 12 and found five stores involved in fuel smuggling activities.
“We arrested a man, in his 20s, who was pumping petrol from a vehicle into a barrel. The petrol is believed to be smuggled to neighbouring countries,” he told a media conference at the Pengkalan Kubor Police Station here today.
Elaborating, he said the suspect is believed to be part of a syndicate carrying out activities transporting controlled items to neighbouring countries.
He said they are trying to identify the store owners, adding that the two-day Integrated Ops resulted in seizures worth RM48,854 and the arrest of nine people aged between 19 and 50 for various offences.
“We also recorded eight cases under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 involving the smuggling and misappropriation of controlled items like petrol, diesel and subsidised cooking oil, as well as modifying vehicle tanks and failing to maintain a stock book of controlled items,” he said.-Bernama
