SANDAKAN: Personnel from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) seized controlled items valued at nearly RM830,000 from a boat allegedly attempting to smuggle them to a neighbouring country off the coast of Sandakan.
Sandakan Maritime Zone director Capt Muhamad Suhairy Hussain reported that the vessel was intercepted approximately 0.8 nautical miles from Tanjung Aru waters late Sunday (July 20), following suspicious behaviour.
"Aboard the boat were a skipper and seven foreign crew members aged between 27 and 50 who failed to produce valid travel documents," he stated.
Additionally, six passengers — four men and two women believed to be foreign nationals aged between 16 and 41 — were found on the vessel.
Further inspection revealed 250 blue drums containing 50,000 litres of petrol, 15 drums filled with 3,000 litres of diesel, and 120 gas cylinders of various brands, all lacking valid declaration documents.
The case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1962, Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, and Immigration Act 1959/63.
Suhairy emphasised that the operation demonstrates the agency’s ongoing commitment to combat smuggling and safeguard Malaysian waters.
