KUALA LUMPUR: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry is expecting an increased number of diesel smuggling and diesel misappropriation cases this year.
The ministry's Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Section director Zubir Hamsa said it has seized 3.2 million litres of diesel worth RM7.5 million through Op Tiris involving 324 cases between January and March 27 this year.
"In just three months, the amount is already 50 per cent of last year's amount of seized diesel. During these three months, operations saw 6.4 million litres of diesel worth RM14.2 million being seized in 877 cases including 386 handover cases.
"By the way it is going, we are going to see an increase (of cases) this year," he said during an interview with New Straits Times' Beyond The Headline programme.
In February, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said more than RM5 million worth of subsidised goods that were misappropriated and smuggled were seized in 'Op Tiris 3.0' from Jan 1 to Feb 15.
It involved the seizure of subsidised diesel worth RM4.76 million, RON95 petrol (RM90,611), liquefied petroleum gas (RM154,189), cooking oil (RM107,759) and sugar RM35,736.
In Sabah, 221 inspections were carried out, and 29 cases were recorded with a total value of controlled items seized amounting to RM192,845.
Zubir said the ministry is scrutinising its standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handover cases to identify grey areas that can be improved.
"Handover cases are when the police catch or arrest somebody in the field over diesel smuggling or anything related, normally it will be handed over to us.
"We are polishing up the SOPs to make sure that the chain of evidence is present as it gets handed over from one agency to another.
"This is not to say there are leakages of SOPs that have occurred in the past, but just to make sure that it won't ever happen in the future.
"So, whatever actions taken by police or by us, the SOPs are clear and there will not be any leakage in evidence because of the handover."
When commenting on cases of Ron 95 subsidised fuel being used by foreigners, Zubir said it was not done in big quantities as compared to misappropriation of diesel cases.
"When I was in Johor, we had this problem, but normally it will be done by one or two stations where basically towards the end of the aisle, the counters in the station will not have a direct view of the car.
"They (foreigners) know these aisles are away from the cashier's view , so they will go there, fill up and leave right away.
"But fuel stations are very cooperative and they try to prevent foreigners from purchasing Ron 95."
