PASIR MAS, Feb 1 — The value of seizures from Ops Tiris between 2024 and January 2026 reached nearly RM179 million, highlighting the scale of leakages involving subsidised controlled goods that the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has successfully curbed nationwide.

KPDN Enforcement Director-General Datuk Azman Adam said the figure comprised RM91.59 million in seizures recorded in 2024, RM81.69 million in 2025 and RM5.73 million in January 2026 alone, achieved through integrated enforcement operations with related agencies.

He said that during the period, Ops Tiris 3.0 involved 93,887 inspections nationwide, resulting in 5,269 cases and 660 arrests.

“Although the seizure value is high, the statistics reflect the effectiveness of our enforcement strategy, with the number of cases declining by 14.2 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024, while the value of seizures fell by 10.8 per cent,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex here today.

For January 2026 alone, Azman said 3,237 inspections were carried out, recording 183 cases, 39 arrests and seizures worth RM5.73 million.

He said KPDN has also intensified inspections at petrol stations to ensure compliance with the targeting of RON95 petrol subsidies under the BUDI Madani RON95 programme, including a ban on sales to foreign-registered vehicles and stricter controls at stations near the border.

By commodity, Azman said petrol, diesel and cooking oil remained the most frequently diverted controlled items, although cases have shown a downward trend since 2025.

“Petrol-related cases fell from 969 in 2024 to 797 in 2025, with 49 cases recorded in early 2026. Diesel cases declined from 744 to 503, while cooking oil cases dropped from 479 to 404 over the same period,” he said.

Beyond prosecution and compounds, he said firm action was also taken, including the revocation and suspension of wholesale and retail licences, as well as the suspension of Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme (eCOSS) quotas for packaging companies found to be in breach of regulations.

At the supply chain level, forensic audits were conducted on packaging companies, supported by real-time monitoring through the upgraded eCOSS system and a pilot rollout of the eCOSS mobile application at the retail level, he added.

Azman said enforcement digitalisation is being strengthened through the use of fleet cards under the Subsidised Petrol Control System, which records transactions in real time.

While the number of cases, seizure values and complaints have declined, he said there remains room for improvement to more effectively curb smuggling and leakage activities.

In this regard, Azman said new regulations prohibiting non-citizens from purchasing subsidised packet cooking oil are expected to take effect from March 1, followed by a ban on the purchase of subsidised RON95 petrol by foreign-registered vehicles from April 1 this year. — Bernama