KOTA BARU: The Army thwarted an attempt to smuggle 20 cows into the country in a border operation on Monday (May 4).
The 2nd Infantry Division headquarters said an operations team conducting surveillance using a mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) detected a suspicious-looking lorry at 6.45pm near the border area.
"Monitoring revealed an estimated 20 cows on the Thai side were waiting to be smuggled into Malaysia via Sungai Golok," it said in a statement on Tuesday (May 5).
It added that the driver, believed to be a local man, fled the scene, abandoning the lorry and its cargo.
"The team seized 20 cows without valid import permits, along with a three-tonne lorry used to transport the livestock,” it said, adding that the total value of the seizure is estimated at RM225,000.
A police report was lodged at the Lubok Stol station in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas and all seized items were handed over to the Customs Department for further action, it said. – Bernama
