JOHOR BARU, Feb 12 ― The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) foiled an attempt last Saturday to smuggle into the country various brands of cigarettes and liquor valued at RM2.5 million.
An MMEA team intercepted a boat carrying the contraband at about 6 pm about 1.9 nautical miles off Tanjung Piai, Pontian, arrested the nine Indonesian crew and seized the goods, MMEA Southern Region director Datuk Abu Bakar Idris said here today.
“The MMEA team on patrol became suspicious upon spotting the boat anchored in the waters. A check on the boat revealed 916,500 cartons of cigarettes and 3,048 bottles of liquor of various brands hindden under canvas sheets.
“We arrested the nine crew, including the skipper, all aged between 25 and 53. All of them had passports but the skipper failed to present the relevant documents,” he said to reporters. ― Bernama
