MMEA personnel aboard the cargo boat with the suspects.
KOTA KINABALU: Would-be smugglers tried to sneak contraband alcohol into the country by hiding it under groceries in Sabah’s east coast Tawau district.
However, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) managed to thwart their attempt near Wallace Bay jetty, off Sebatik Island, on Saturday (Nov 4).
Tawau MMEA director Capt Shahrizan Raman said a patrol vessel spotted a cargo boat some 0.1 nautical miles north-east of the jetty at 10pm.
The boat was intercepted after a brief chase and found to be operated by a 35-year-old local man assisted by another man, aged 32, he added.
“Following an inspection, we found 26 boxes containing 312 bottles of various brands of liquor that were kept in gunnysacks and placed under a pile of grocery items,” he said on Monday (Nov 6).
“The suspects could not produce any documents that listed the liquor as a permitted load.
“The seized items including the boat are valued at more than RM50,000,” he said, adding that the suspects are being investigated under the Customs Act 1967.
Besides hiding the contraband items, Capt Shahrizan said the smugglers also took the "precaution" of transporting a moderate quantity of legitimate liquor so as not to arouse the authorities' suspicion.
