The ministry’s Ops Tiris crackdown on controlled goods misuse has seized RM263.41 million, with 6,773 cases and 2,219 arrests recorded to date
PUTRAJAYA: A crackdown on controlled goods misuse, known as Ops Tiris, has driven a sharp rise in enforcement cases for the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN).
Seizures have totalled RM263.41 million to date.
KPDN Enforcement director general Datuk Azman Adam attributed the success to expanding the operation to cover six main commodities: diesel, RON95 petrol, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), sugar, cooking oil and flour.
He also credited a “whole-of-government” approach involving multiple agencies.
“To date, the Ops Tiris series has recorded 6,773 cases with 2,219 individuals arrested, including witnesses and accused.
“Nearly 80 per cent of them are Malaysians,” he said at a press conference today on Ops Tiris enforcement achievements for 2025 up to March 2026.
Under Ops Tiris 4.0, which began on March 16, 377 cases have been recorded with 107 individuals arrested within the first month of the operation.
Seizures during this period amounted to nearly RM17 million.
Diesel-related cases recorded the highest number at 166, involving 1.126 million litres of diesel.
This was followed by 78 petrol cases with 31,931 litres seized and 49 LPG cases.
Sarawak recorded the highest number of diesel-related cases with 57 cases in one month, followed by Sabah, Kelantan and Johor.
This reflects that there is adequate enforcement in border states.
Azman said that starting April 11, KPDN and other enforcement agencies, including the police, have stationed officers to monitor 151 petrol stations located in border areas identified as high-risk.
This measure is important amid uncertain geopolitical situations, which can create price gaps and affect supplies, thereby increasing the risk of misuse.
Meanwhile, Azman said authorities are also using technology, including AI, to monitor fuel usage patterns and spot early signs of tampering.
This includes unusual spikes in fleet card transactions or supply anomalies at petrol stations.
