KOTA KINABALU: Marine officials in Lahad Datu foiled two oil smuggling attempts in crackdowns over the past two days.
Sabah Marine Police Region Four commander Asst Comm Nazri Ibrahim said in the 4.29pm operation on Friday (April 25), marine police had noticed a speedboat moving fast in waters off Alice Reef, Tungku.
“Our men had chased after the vessel to check on it, and managed to intercept,” he said in a statement on Saturday (April 26).
He said following inspections on the boat, they nabbed the skipper and a passenger while packets of cooking oil believed meant for smuggling out of the country were seized.
All confiscated items including the speedboat valued around RM63,365 were taken back to the marine base for further investigation, said ACP Nazri.
The two detainees will also be investigated under the Immigration Act as they did not have any documents on them, he said.
In another case, a lorry tanker filled with crude palm oil that was suspected of being smuggled was seized from the Segama area, where it was parked.
The CPO weighing around 12 tonnes and the tanker with a total value of RM504,000 were taken back to the marine base for further investigations.
No suspects have been arrested in this case yet.
