JOHOR BAHRU: The 5th Battalion of the General Operations Force in Simpang Renggam has dismantled a syndicate involved in the misappropriation of subsidised cooking oil in the Mantin light industrial area.
The operation was conducted by the Negeri Sembilan branch of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living at approximately 10.30 am on Tuesday.
Commanding officer Superintendent Salehin Suleiman said the syndicate’s modus operandi involved refilling subsidised packet oil into five-kilogramme bottles for sale at unsubsidised market prices.
Inspection of the premises led to the arrest of two local men aged 20 and 22 alongside significant seizures.
Authorities confiscated a three-tonne DongFeng truck and 228 boxes of cooking oil during the raid.
They also seized a set of 5 kg automatic filling machines and a bottle capping machine used in the illegal operation.
Additional seized items included a labelling machine, an air compressor, and a box sealing machine.
A forklift and 32 intermediate bulk container tanks were also taken into custody.
Twelve packages of transparent plastic bottles and seven rolls of bottle stickers were discovered at the scene.
Keys and remote controls for the automatic gate plus one transparent package containing yellow bottle caps completed the seizure list.
Salehin confirmed the operation successfully curbed the misappropriation of subsidised cooking oil around Negeri Sembilan.
The case is now being investigated by police and relevant agencies in accordance with prescribed legal provisions. – Bernama
