Five members of diesel-smuggling syndicate nabbed in Johor

JOHOR BAHRU - Police believe they have smashed a syndicate smuggling subsidised diesel following the arrest of five men in Kulai near, here, yesterday.

General Operations Force (GOF) Battalion 5 commanding officer Supt Dimin Awang said the suspects, who included two foreigners, were picked up at 2pm from a building at Jalan No 11, Jalan Perak, Taman Wawasan.

They are aged between 34 and 42.

"Various types of goods and equipment, including 40,000 litres of subsidised fuel in several tanks, two lorries and five pumps, worth about RM300,300 in total were seized in the raid.

"The suspects and seized assets were handed over to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry for further action and investigation under the Control of Supplies Act 1961,” he said in a statement today.

He said the syndicate was believed to have been active in the Johor Bahru district.

In Pasir Mas, Kelantan, the GOF Battalion 7 seized smuggled firecrackers and fireworks worth about RM50,000 following the arrest of a man in Jalan Tunjong-Pasir Mas yesterday.

Kelantan Op Wawasan field commanding officer Supt Azhari Nusi said they first confiscated an amount of firecrackers and fireworks from the 22-year-old suspect's Perodua Kelisa car at 9.15pm.

"He then led police to a store next to his house in Kampung Kenjing Repek at 11pm, from where more contraband goods were seized. All together, police seized 40 packets and 1,208 boxes of firecrackers and fireworks,” he said in a statement today.

He said the firecrackers and fireworks were smuggled in from Thailand for distribution in Pasir Mas. - BERNAMA