KOTA KINABALU: An undocumented man led police on a high-speed chase across three districts – Lahad Datu, Kunak and Tawau – only to be caught after crashing his van into a tree.
He did this in a bid to flee with over RM1mil worth of smuggled cigarettes hidden inside his vehicle.
The incident was triggered during a police operation near Silam in Lahad Datu, around midnight on Thursday.
Sabah Region Four Marine Police commander Asst Comm Nazri Ibrahim said police had approached three vans parked by the roadside for inspection when one of the drivers suddenly sped off.
“While some officers stayed back, others gave chase.
“The driver drove towards Kunak, prompting personnel from the district police to join in.
“Despite sirens and repeated calls via loudspeaker for the suspect to stop, he refused to pull over and continued speeding,” ACP Nazri said in a statement.
He said the pursuit continued into Tawau, where police from the Tawau station joined in the chase.
Rooted out: One of the three suspects standing next to the seized items and one of the vans.
After nearly three hours, the van crashed into a tree in Kampung Titingan Icebox. Even then, the driver attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended, he added.
ACP Nazri said a search of the van uncovered various brands of smuggled cigarettes.
He said with the arrest of the two earlier suspects and seizure of the other two vans, police had confiscated over RM3.09mil worth of contraband cigarettes in the operation.
He said all three suspects were detained and the cigarettes taken to the marine police base for further investigation.
On the state marine police’s success, he said they had busted 57 cigarette smuggling activities between January and August this year, with seizures worth over RM24.3mil.
“A total of 43 suspects were nabbed during this period,” he added.
