PONTIAN: The Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs worth RM360,000 at the Sungai Rambah estuary, near here early yesterday morning.
Johor MMEA acting director Captain Kama Azri Kamil said the drugs were being smuggled out of the country when a patrol team, carrying out enforcement operations, intercepted the suspect.
“During the operation, our team spotted a suspicious blue fiber boat at around 1.15 am about 0.5 nautical miles from the river mouth. Upon detecting our presence, the boat attempted to flee,“ he said in a statement today.
“The suspect then fled into a nearby mangrove area, abandoning the boat. After securing the vessel, our team found a black backpack containing five packages of suspected methamphetamine weighing five kilograms, as well as a 1.2-kilogram package of suspected ecstasy pills,“ he added.
The drugs, along with a mobile phone and plastic packaging for tea, believed to be used for wrapping the narcotics, were seized.
The boat, engine, and drugs have been taken to the MMEA Jetty in Sungai Pulai for further investigation. The case is being investigated under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
