ALOR SETAR: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) foiled an attempt to smuggle out 450 kg of ketum leaves from Kedah to a neighbouring country by sea, on the coast of Kuala Sanglang near here, today.
Kuala Kedah Maritime Zone director Noor Azreyanti Ishak said based on intelligence gathered, the team conducted checks in the area and found an unloaded boat on the beach at 6.15am.
“The operations team suspected that the boat belonged to a suspect (smuggler) and the team then made checked around the area to track down the suspect and the ketum leaves.
“Checks in the coastal area found 45 black plastic packages in the nearby area containing ketum leaves which were believed to have been just plucked,“ she said in a statement here today.
She said the ketum leaves, estimated to be worth RM81,000, were believed to have been placed there by the suspect while waiting for a suitable time to smuggle them out.
According to Azreyanti, the market price of ketum leaves in Thailand was up to RM180 per kg compared to RM40 per kg in the local market, and this prompted smugglers to use various tricks to smuggle them out. — Bernama
