KOTA BARU: Two enforcement officers were among eight people arrested on suspicion of involvement in a syndicate embezzling 11,050kg of subsidised cooking oil.
They were caught during an operation by the Kelantan branch of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry in collaboration with the Region Three Marine Police Force (PPM).
State director Azman Ismail said that the two civil servants, aged 27 and 41, from different departments in Rantau Panjang, were believed to have assisted the syndicate at the inspection counter by facilitating the movement of vehicles carrying subsidised cooking oil across the border.
“These two enforcement officers were key to the syndicate’s operations, as their roles enabled the illegal activities to continue without being detected by the authorities,” he told reporters at the ministry office here yesterday, reports Bernama.
In the same operation on Thursday, the syndicate leader, identified as ‘Datuk John’, 28, was also arrested.
He is believed to be the mastermind behind the operations which have been going on since 2023, and has prior records, including at least three other cases in Pasir Mas.
The total seizure was valued at RM482,225, consisting of cooking oil worth RM27,625, two lorries, a Toyota Vellfire and a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Azman said initial investigations found that the syndicate’s modus operandi involved transferring boxes of cooking oil from the lorries into the MPV before transporting them to the border.
He did not rule out the possibility that the syndicate had a network in Thailand.
He said all eight individuals arrested have been remanded for four days, until Monday, to assist in the investigation.
“The case is being investigated under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 for possessing controlled goods, namely subsidised cooking oil, with intent to commit an offence,” he added.
