KUALA TERENGGANU, Aug 26 — A merchant ship captain and his six crewmen were arrested and cash of almost RM4 million were seized following the detention of the ship in the waters of Kemaman four days ago.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in a statement here yesterday said it was the biggest seizure of cash ever recorded by the agency so far.

KM Pekan commanding officer, Maritime Captain Robert Teh Geok Chuan said the ship, which has no registration number, was detained at approximately 126 nautical miles from Kuala Kemaman on Aug 21.

"Upon inspection, seven crewmen were found to have no valid documents...also found were the cash in various currencies, which are believed to be the proceeds from illegal activities,” he said.

All of the suspects, aged between 22 and 62, were believed to be Thai nationals and will be investigated under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 and the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952. — Bernama