BUKIT MERTAJAM, Feb 6 — The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has intensified enforcement actions nationwide, uncovering cases involving the misuse of subsidised goods and the sale of counterfeit products in separate operations in Penang and Perak.
In Penang, KPDN exposed a subsidised cooking oil diversion racket after seizing more than six tonnes of oil worth RM49,965 in a raid on a store in Tasek Gelugor late last night.
Its director, S. Jegan, said the operation was carried out at about 10 pm following public tip-offs and intelligence gathering, leading to the arrest of two local men in their 30s believed to be workers for the syndicate.
“The syndicate obtained subsidised one-kilogramme cooking oil packets from wholesalers and retailers before transferring the oil into large drums and then into jerrycans to alter the controlled item’s original form for illegal use, mainly to supply restaurant chains,” he told reporters at the KPDN Exhibit Storage Facility in Bukit Minyak today.
He said initial investigations found the syndicate diverted up to six tonnes of subsidised cooking oil weekly, or about 24 tonnes a month, earning profits of between RM50 and RM70 per jerrycan sold.
Efforts to identify the masterminds are ongoing.
In Perak, KPDN enforcers seized 529 units of suspected counterfeit-branded mobile phones during a raid on a business premises in Ipoh yesterday.
State KPDN director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said the raid at 11.50 am followed complaints from trademark representatives alleging the sale of counterfeit phones at the premises.
Preliminary checks indicated the items may have breached the Trade Marks Act 2019.
“All goods and related documents were seized for further investigation, with the total value of the seizure estimated at RM150,788,” he said. — Bernama
