Published: Friday October 16, 2009 MYT 2:55:00 PM
RM2m worth of contraband diesel, logs seized
By STEPHEN THEN
MIRI: Sarawak Marine Police have seized some RM2mil worth of illegally-harvested timber logs and contraband diesel during separate raids at several remote places along the Baram River in northern Sarawak.
The raids, carried out by enforcement officers on Thursday night and early Friday, succeeded in stopping attempts to smuggle un-sawn logs and subsidised diesel.
Some 359 whole logs, weighing a few hundred tonnes, were seized from a barge and a boat while they were moving along the river from Ulu Tutoh (some 350km inland from here) towards Kuala Baram (35km north of here).
They were believed to be heading towards the South China Sea.
The 15,000 litres worth of diesel was seized from a boat that was moving from Kuala Baram towards an interior settlement.
About 30 enforcement officers from the Marine Police carried out surprise checks on board these vessels during a lightning operation, said Northern Sarawak Marine Police chief Asst Supt Nazri Ismail.
“These are the biggest seizures this year in the state. Several workers found on the barge and the boats have been questioned.
“The seized logs will be handed over to the Sarawak Forestry Department for investigations while the diesel will be handed over to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Department,” he said.
The two departments would investigate where these illegal items were smuggled from, he said.
He said those found on board were locals believed to be merely workers operating the boats, and not the brains behind the smuggling activities.
He said the logs were still unsawn, meaning to say they were fresh round logs.
The diesel, he said, was found hidden inside a huge compartment in the boat that is believed to have been modified to carry extra loads of fuel illegally.
ASP Nazri said the marine police will continue to carry out such surprise raids as part of efforts to clamp down on smugglers, adding that logs and diesel are among the most lucrative items for these illegal traders.
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