KOTA KINABALU: Maritime officials foiled a suspected petrol smuggling attempt during a raid in waters off Semporna, early Wednesday (Aug 6).
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) zone director for Semporna, maritime commander Amir Shubli said in the 1am operation dubbed Ops Pluto Timur, MMEA personnel had noticed a speedboat heading in a suspicious direction.
“Our men directed our vessel towards the speedboat but it sped up, forcing a chase between us and them near Tanjung Kapur,” he said in a statement.
He said the speedboat had sped towards shallower waters and there, a man had jumped into the sea before disappearing into the dark.
“There was a mangrove area near where the suspect jumped and he escaped there,” said Amir, adding that an inspection on the ditched boat led to the discovery of some 1,100l of petrol.
The petrol stored in tanks is believed to have been meant to be smuggled out, he said, adding that the petrol, boat and other equipment worth about RM155,000 in total were seized.
All confiscated items were brought back to the Semporna maritime jetty for further investigations under the Supply Controls Act 1961, he said.
Amir said the MMEA will continue to enforce laws at sea especially in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).
