IPOH: The Perak Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry detained three men and seized 43,000 litres of subsidised fishermen’s diesel during a raid at a fishing jetty in Hutan Melintang, near Teluk Intan.
Director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said the raid at 5am on Saturday under Ops Tiris 4.0 also led to the seizure of a Class C fishing boat, a tanker lorry, two skid tanks, hoses and oil transfer equipment, a hydraulic pump and several related documents.
“The total value of the seizure is estimated at RM1,525,190, and the case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974,” he said in a statement.
He said the three local men, aged between 33 and 42, were the tanker lorry driver, attendant and jetty owner.
“The fishermen’s diesel, purchased at RM1.65 per litre, was believed to have been resold on the black market at nearly RM4 per litre.”
Kamalludin said the ministry found that a tanker lorry had entered the jetty to collect diesel stored in two skid tanks.
According to Bernama, he said that both tanks were believed to contain fishermen’s diesel that had been siphoned from and transferred without authorisation from a Class C fishing boat belonging to the jetty owner.
He said upon conviction under the Control of Supplies Act 1961, individuals could be fined up to RM1mil or jailed for up to three years, or both, while corporations could be fined up to RM2mil for a first offence and up to RM5mil for subsequent offences.
