TAWAU: A 35-year-old skipper was detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on suspicion of smuggling goods from a neighbouring country via Kuala Sungai, here, Monday.
MMEA Tawau Zone Director Shahrizan Raman said during Ops Pluto Timur 2/13 and Ops Tiris, a cargo boat was spotted heading suspiciously towards Sungai Tawau’s river mouth from the sea border at about 2.45am.
Inspections led to the discovery of various items believed to have been smuggled from Indonesia.
The skipper failed to provide valid documents or permit for the goods.
The commodities included eight boxes of brown sugar, four sacks of white pepper, two sacks of cashew nuts, 720 packets of food seasoning, 312 packets of cheese and 12 sacks of glutinous rice, among others.
The skipper, boat and cargo were taken to the Tawau Maritime Jetty for further investigations.
The confiscated items, including the boat and outboard engine, are believed to be worth RM58, 000. The case is being investigated under the Customs Act 1967.
