KELANTAN KPDN SEIZES NEARLY TWO TONNES OF SUBSIDISED COOKING OIL IN LUBOK GONG

TUMPAT, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- The Kelantan branch of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) seized nearly two tonnes of subsidised cooking oil and three vehicles worth about RM20,000 during a special operation at an illegal base in Lubok Gong near Pasir Mas last night.

Kelantan KPDN deputy director Aswadi Jaafar said the operation that led to the seizure was conducted at 12.30 am by the Pengkalan Kubor Region 3 Marine Police and the 7th Battalion of the General Operations Force.

“During the raid, we discovered a group of men unloading boxes containing cooking oil from several vehicles onto a boat along the banks of Sungai Golok. On noticing the authorities, all the suspects fled by boat towards the neighbouring country.

“The team found that 500 kg of packaged cooking oil was left on the riverbank, with the rest still in three vehicles, two Proton Wajas and a Proton Wira Aeroback, used to transport the goods,” he told reporters after inspecting the Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme (SHMMP) implementation here today.

He said all the packaged cooking oil, weighing 1,983 kilograms, and the three vehicles involved were seized for investigation under Section 20(1) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, with the KPDN Pasir Mas Branch Enforcement Division conducting further probes to identify the masterminds and the smuggling network involved.

In a related development, Aswadi said that between January and 11 February, action had been taken on 140 cases involving various offences, resulting in the seizure of goods worth RM439,666.

He said that of the total, 91 cases under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 were recorded, involving goods worth RM88,197, along with the seizure of 46 vehicles valued at RM204,600 and 32 arrests.

“The cases mainly involved the seizure of petrol worth RM25,022, wheat flour valued at RM22,441, cooking oil at RM19,582, sugar (RM13,967), diesel (RM4,388) and cooking gas (RM2,794),” he said.

Aswadi stressed that the KPDN would continue to tighten control, particularly over all illegal bases and would not compromise with anyone involved in embezzlement activities along the border.

--BERNAMA