KPDN raids in Penang and Perak uncover a cooking oil diversion syndicate and fake mobile phones, seizing goods worth nearly RM200,000.
BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living has intensified nationwide enforcement, uncovering separate offences involving subsidised goods and counterfeit products in Penang and Perak.
In Penang, a subsidised cooking oil diversion racket was exposed following a raid on a store in Tasek Gelugor. Enforcement officers seized more than six tonnes of oil valued at RM49,965.
State director S. Jegan said the operation was conducted at about 10 pm based on public tip-offs and intelligence. Two local men in their 30s, believed to be syndicate workers, were arrested.
“The syndicate obtained subsidised one-kilogramme cooking oil packets from wholesalers and retailers,” he told reporters. They then transferred the oil into large drums and jerrycans to alter its original form for illegal use, mainly supplying restaurant chains.
Initial investigations found the syndicate diverted up to six tonnes of subsidised oil weekly, or about 24 tonnes a month. They earned profits of between RM50 and RM70 per jerrycan sold.
Efforts to identify the masterminds behind the operation are ongoing.
In a separate operation in Perak, KPDN enforcers seized 529 units of suspected counterfeit-branded mobile phones. The raid took place at a business premises in Ipoh.
State director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said the raid followed complaints from trademark representatives alleging the sale of fake phones. Preliminary checks indicated the items may have breached the Trade Marks Act 2019.
“All goods and related documents were seized for further investigation,” he said. The total value of the seizure is estimated at RM150,788.
