Meat-smuggling cartel busted in raid

Compiled By SIM LEOI LEOI, LIEW JIA XIAN and R. ARAVINTHAN

THE authorities busted a cartel that had been smuggling meat from Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina and China and then repackaging it with the halal logo, reported Sinar Harian.

The raid at a warehouse in Senai, Johor, on Tuesday was spearheaded by officers from the Domestic

Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry and other agencies, which also saw the seizure of some 1,500 tonnes of frozen meat worth RM30mil.

The cartel, which had been operating for a few years, allegedly used the warehouse as a location to make fake labels and stamps, which were then pasted on the packages of meat before being sold in the local market.

The cartel managed to keep its operations secret by disguising itself as a frozen meat supplier.

Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) Department director-general Saiful Yazan Alwi said they were still investigating how the meat was smuggled into the country.

> Kosmo! reported that a search and rescue team in Bintulu had been dispatched to the crocodile- infested Sungai Kemena after a car plunged into the water.

A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said witnesses saw the car falling off the jetty.

“However, we can’t tell how many people were involved or the type of car, ” he added.

It was believed that the team was facing various challenges in their search, including crocodiles and the river’s swift currents.

> Harian Metro reported that Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, who is confirmed to be four months pregnant with her second child, is hoping for a boy this time.

“I don’t mind what the baby’s gender is but it would be more fun if I get a boy. Whatever it is, let’s pray that everything will go well, ” said the singer, who already has a two-year-old daughter, Siti Aafiyah.

She said her second pregnancy was the result of in vitro fertilisation treatment.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.