LABUAN: The Labuan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized liquor of various brands, a fibre boat, and three engines, valued at over RM472,000, in an early morning raid today.
The seizure took place when the boat was intercepted, approximately 2.9 nautical miles northeast of Balangkasan Island, Menumbok, around 5.10 am.
Labuan MMEA director Captain Izwanhadi Idros said that the agency’s teams conducting operations, dubbed Op Sejahtera 1/2022, Op Khas Pagar Laut 1/2024, and Op Tiris 3.0, spotted a blue fibre fishing boat without a registration number, around 5.05 am, navigating suspiciously from Labuan towards Menumbok.
“Upon approaching the boat for inspection, the said boat attempted to flee towards the mangrove forest at the mouth of Sungai Klias, and the skipper fled into the nearby mangrove swamp forest.
“A subsequent search of the fibre boat found a total of 10,728 cans and bottles of liquor of various brands, believed to have been smuggled from Labuan for the local market.
He said that the seized goods, along with the boat and engines, were taken to the Labuan maritime jetty, for investigation and further action.
The case was being investigated under the Customs Act 1967, for attempting to smuggle duty-free liquor exceeding the permitted amount.
