KOTA BARU: A 22-year-old man was held by the General Operations Force (GOF) after he was caught transporting about 700kg of durian without a valid permit.
GOF Southeast Brigade commander SAC Ahmad Radzi Hussain said the local man was arrested at the Abe Li Posmen illegal jetty in Pasir Mas at about 7.15pm on Thursday.
He said the arrest was made by GOF strike force personnel who were on patrol after they spotted the driver of a four-wheel-drive vehicle behaving suspiciously.
Subsequent inspection of the vehicle uncovered about 700kg of durian stored on the vehicle’s rear passenger seat and cargo compartment.
“The suspect failed to produce any valid documents for the durian being transported.
“He was subsequently detained, while the vehicle and its load of durian were seized for further action,” he said on Friday.
Based on preliminary investigations, Ahmad Radzi said the suspect claimed he was merely instructed by his employer to collect the durian at the location before delivering them to a retail outlet in Pasir Puteh.
“The suspect also said he worked part-time and was paid between RM60 and RM70 a day, depending on the volume of durian sales,” he added.
He said the seized vehicle was valued at RM50,000 while the durian were estimated to be worth about RM3,500.
