The boxes containing smuggled cosmetic items at the Semporna marine police base.
KOTA KINABALU: Marine police here have thwarted an attempt to smuggle in about RM320,000 worth of cosmetic items in Sabah’s east coast Semporna district.
They had spotted two speedboats carrying the items during a patrol off Kampung Kuala Bilang at 8.30pm on Tuesday (Feb 27).
Sabah Region Four Marine Police Commander Asst Comm Ahmad Ariffin said the boats immediately sped off after noticing the marine police’s presence.
“After pursuing the boats for some 20 minutes, our men saw the people on board throwing things into the sea,” he said, when contacted on Thursday (Feb 29).
He added the boats then managed to escape into the dark.
"We recovered 10 large boxes that were discarded earlier which contained cosmetics. Our team then scoured a mangrove swamp near the village and found the two boats tied to a mangrove tree.
A check on the boats led to the discovery of 70 more large boxes containing the same items,” said ACP Ahmad.
He added the seized items are believed to have originated from the Philippines and are estimated to be valued at RM320,540.
The items have been brought to the Semporna marine police base, he said, adding the case would be referred to the Tawau Pharmacy Department for further probe.
