The contraband cigarettes seized in the operation.
KOTA KINABALU: Smugglers left behind contraband cigarettes worth over RM120,000 in a boat before escaping from the marine police in Sabah’s east coast Semporna district.
Semporna Marine Police operations base commanding officer Deputy Supt Mohamad Ismail said a patrol team spotted a boat with suspicious characters on board at about 1.30am on Thursday (Aug 15).
He said they approached the boat for an inspection.
“But just as we neared them, the boat sped off,” he said when contacted on Friday (Aug 16).
“Our men immediately gave chase and after some 10 minutes, the boat operator and another suspect jumped into the sea.
“We tried searching for the suspects but could not locate them because it was dark,” DSP Mohamad added.
He said they subsequently found 400 cartons of contraband cigarettes left behind in the boat.
He added that police believed the cigarettes were being smuggled into Sabah from a neighbouring country.
“The cigarettes are worth some RM129,500 and have been brought to the Semporna base for further probe under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967,” he said.
