SANDAKAN: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sandakan Maritime Zone foiled an attempt to smuggle subsidised petrol after intercepting a boat in waters off Sungai Sabine on Thursday afternoon.
The seized boat and its cargo, estimated to be worth RM23,300, were brought to the Sandakan Maritime Zone jetty and handed over to investigating officers for further action.
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Sandakan Maritime Zone Director Maritime Captain Suhairy Hussain said the success was the result of continuous patrols and surveillance carried out under Op Sejahtera, Op Cegah PATI (OCP) and Op Tiris 4.0.
He said the patrol team spotted the boat behaving suspiciously about 0.05 nautical miles northwest of Sungai Sabine before moving in for inspection.
However, as enforcement personnel approached, two men believed to be the boat’s crew jumped into a nearby mangrove swamp and fled into the forest to evade arrest.
“A search of the boat uncovered 18 jerry cans believed to contain a total of 360 litres of subsidised petrol.
“Also seized were two Yamaha outboard engines rated at 40 and 15 horsepower,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Suhairy said the boat was believed to have committed an offence under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 for transporting controlled goods without a valid permit or authorisation.
It was also suspected of breaching Regulation 12 of the Sabah Ports and Harbours Enactment 2002 for misusing its licence by carrying cargo.
