PUTRAJAYA: A total of 137 cases involving the misappropriation of subsidised cooking oil have been busted, with seizures of 165,568kg of cooking oil worth RM615,936.02 under the integrated anti-leakage operation, dubbed Ops Tiris 4.0, since March 16.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry enforcement director-general Datuk Azman Adam said Sabah recorded the highest number of cases at 36, involving seizures worth RM72,265.46, while KPDN Putrajaya recorded the largest seizure quantity at 55,445kg through four cases, reported Sinar Harian.
Recently, a total of 6.4 tonnes of subsidised packet cooking oil was seized in raids on two stores in Shah Alam, Selangor, uncovering the activities of a syndicate believed to have misused the controlled item for profit.
Azman said the operation was conducted at a store in Bandar Pinggiran Subang and another in Jalan Bakti, Shah Alam, which were believed to have been used to store subsidised packet cooking oil.
He said further checks found a large quantity of subsidised packet cooking oil believed to have been stored to be cut out from its original packaging before being sold to used cooking oil wholesalers.
“This modus operandi was aimed at making a profit by misusing subsidised controlled goods,” he said in a statement on Friday (July 17).
He said initial investigations also found that the premises operators failed to produce any licence or valid documents related to the storage and trading of scheduled controlled goods.
KPDN enforcement officers inspecting the raid location.
Azman said that in exercising powers under Section 10(1)(b) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 [Act 122], the raiding team seized various items, including about 6,426kg of subsidised packet cooking oil, 13 IBC tanks, four storage tanks, six drums, three electric pumps and funnels, connector hoses, a rigid lorry, equipment used to cut cooking oil packets, packaging boxes and several mobile phones.
“The total value of the seizure is estimated at RM129,874.50,” he said.
He added that the raiding team also detained six individuals in their 30s to assist investigations, comprising one local man and five foreign men.
The case is being investigated under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 [Act 122], read together with Regulation 3(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974, for allegedly trading in scheduled controlled goods without a valid licence from the Controller of Supplies.
Further investigations are also being carried out to identify the involvement of other individuals or companies linked to the activities.
He said individuals convicted of the offence could be fined up to RM1mil for a first offence, or RM3mil for a subsequent offence, or jailed for up to three years, or both.
“For companies, the fine can reach up to RM2mil for a first offence and up to RM5mil for a subsequent offence,” he said.
Subsidised packet cooking oil seized in the raids on two stores in Shah Alam recently.
He also urged members of the public with information on the misappropriation of controlled and subsidised goods to lodge complaints with KPDN so that enforcement action could be taken.
