Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency personnel keeping guard of the three Filipinos caught red-handed smuggling out controlled goods to their country on Sunday morning (Feb 9).
KOTA KINABALU: A smuggling attempt by three Filipino nationals to transport petrol and other controlled goods from Sabah to the Philippines was thwarted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) early Sunday (Feb 9) morning.
Kudat Maritime Zone director Maritime Commander Hasbullah Omar said the operation was based on intelligence gathered by the Kudat Maritime Zone Intelligence Unit, which detected suspicious loading activities involving fuel and other controlled goods at 12.13am.
“Acting on intelligence, an MMEA patrol asset was deployed to the location for monitoring,” he said.
Upon arrival, authorities spotted a suspicious boat approximately 4.2 nautical miles northeast of Pulau Tiga, heading towards the Malaysia-Philippines maritime border.
The boat belonging to three Filipinos being towed to Kudat Marine Jetty.
“Our team intercepted and inspected the vessel, discovering six blue barrels filled with petrol, 100 packs of wheat flour, and 120 packs of sugar, all believed to be smuggled out of the country,” he added.
Further checks revealed that the three individuals operating the boat were Filipino nationals, aged between 20 and 21, none of whom possessed valid identification documents.
The suspects, along with the boat and seized goods, were taken to Kudat Marina Jetty for further action. The total estimated value of the seizure, including the boat, exceeds RM21,000.
The case is being investigated under the Supply Control Act 1961 for transporting controlled goods without a valid permit, the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering Malaysia without proper travel documents, and the Sabah Ports and Harbours Enactment 2002.
Meanwhile, the Kudat Maritime Zone urged the public, especially the maritime community, to assist authorities in combating smuggling and other maritime crimes.
Anyone with relevant information can contact the Kudat Operations Centre at 088-611858 or the 24-hour emergency hotline at 999.
