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TAWAU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Maritime Malaysia) successfully intercepted a local cargo boat attempting to smuggle 9,600 kilogrammes of sugar to a neighbouring country in the waters off Batu 3 on Saturday.

Tawau Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Captain Shahrizan Raman, said the vessel was detected by a patrol boat during Op Pluto Timur and Op Tiris at around 8.30am while heading from Sungai Tawau towards the national maritime border.

Initial checks revealed that the cargo boat was operated by a 23-year-old local man, who was also an employee of the vessel.

"The documentation inspection found that the boat operator failed to present any permits for the controlled goods and had not declared the cargo, while his name was also not listed in the boat’s licence," he said in a media statement on Sunday.

The suspect, along with the cargo boat and its contents, was escorted to the Tawau Maritime Zone Jetty for further investigation under the Customs Act 1967, the Control of Supplies Act 1961, and the Sabah Ports and Harbours Department Enactment, with the total seizure estimated at RM60,000.