PONTIAN: An attempt to smuggle about 20kg of drugs disguised as packets of Chinese tea has been foiled by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
Its acting Johor director Captain Kama Azri Kamil said the illegal activity was busted by a patrol unit at around 12.30am on Wednesday (Sept 4) when they noticed a wooden boat in Parit Raja waters here.
“The boat, carrying three people, had no registration information, which raised our suspicions.
“When we approached the boat, the three suspects abandoned it and fled into the jungle nearby,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Capt Kama Azri said the patrol unit found a dark blue bag on the boat containing drugs, believed to be syabu, packed in 20 packs as "Chinese tea".
“The drugs are worth about RM640,000.
“We believe the drugs were being brought out of Malaysia when the suspects were spotted by our unit,” he said.
He added that the case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
He also said continuous maritime patrols would be conducted to combat such activities.
