JOHOR BARU: Some 49 tonnes of crude palm oil worth RM294,000 were seized by the General Operations Force (GOF) during an operation at the Pasir Gudang industrial area here.
GOF Central Brigade commander Senior Asst Comm Hakemal Hawari said three men, including one foreigner, were arrested in the raid at about 10am on Saturday (Jan 25).
“The suspects, aged 36 to 47, were in the middle of transferring crude palm oil from a tanker to drum barrels when they were caught by the GOF Battalion 5.
“We believe that the two local suspects are lorry drivers, while the foreigner is the building caretaker they were caught in.
“Upon inspection, the suspects failed to provide any documentation for the possession and storage of the crude oil,” he said in a statement, adding that they are believed to have been active for the past six months.
He added that the crude oil is believed to have been obtained legally, but the lorry drivers were siphoning extra oil from the tanker to sell to a third party at a lower price.
“Apart from the 49 tonnes of crude palm oil, we also seized two lorries, including one attached to a tanker, four drum barrels, and a rubber hose.
“The total value of the seized items, including the crude oil, is estimated to be about RM806,500,” he said.
He said that the case is being investigated by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board under the Malaysian Palm Oil Board Act.
