KUALA LUMPUR : Fourteen men including 10 foreigners were detained in four integrated raids in Sarawak involving a seizure of more than RM35 million worth of items between Monday and Thursday.
Federal Police's Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said the operations were conducted via Intelligence Special Investigation (PSK) with the help of several other enforcement agencies.
The four operations were Op Taring Bravo 1, Op Taring Alpha 1 and Op Taring Alpha 2.
"On May 20, together with the Sarawak Region 5 Marine Operations Force, we conducted three raids in Bintulu and the the first raid led to the arrest of a local man.
"They seized 32 litres of subsidised diesel, 32 intermediate bulk container (IBC) tanks and four fuel pumps and hoses estimated to be valued at RM140,200," he said in a statement today.
The second raid led to the arrest of a local man and seizure of 10,300 litres of subsidised diesel, 16 IBC tanks, three pumps with hoses and digital meter all valued at about RM54,093.
"The third raid involved a untaxed liquor and cigarettes
smuggling syndicate, which was made possible by joint intelligence by the police and Malaysian Checkpoints and Border Agency (MBCA).
"In that raid, we detained six foreign men and seized 7.72 litres of liquor, 250,000 of cigarettes and two vans valued more than RM3.11 million," he said.
Kamarudin said the fourth raid included the Miri branch of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, and it led to two Malaysian men and four foreign men being detained.
"In this raid, we seized 146,720 litres of subsidised diesel, two tug boats, fuel tanker with three fuel pumps and hose, four wheel drive vehicle, lorry, skid tank, two steel tanks and two IBC tanks worth a total of RM32 million.
"The case is investigated under Section 21 of the Supplies Control Act 1961, Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1976, Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Section 15(1)(c) of the same act," he said.
He said the Intelligence Special Investigation successfully conducted 82 raids nationwide and detained 185 people for various offences between Jan 1 and yesterday.
The offences were related to goods that did not go through customs, leakages in controlled and subsidised goods and the smuggling of wildlife.
"The items seized during that period are valued more than RM230 million," he said.
He said police are committed in enforcement and will stop leakages of the country's revenue through integrated operations involving various government agencies.
"We need cooperation from the public to channel information to ensure such crime is fully eradicated," he said.
