IPOH: The General Operations Force (GOF) in Ulu Kinta has foiled the smuggling of 85,580kg of crude palm oil worth RM1.1 million during Op Taring Palma in Kerian.
Northern Brigade GOF commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Shahrum Hashim said four local men, aged 26 to 44, were arrested on Tuesday in the joint operation with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Kerian police, and Bukit Aman’s Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department .
“The team spotted a lorry carrying a suspicious load and trailed it to the Bukit Merah northbound rest and service area (R&R), where crude palm oil was being illegally transferred from two tanker lorries to a bonded lorry,” he said in a statement today.
The inspection revealed 15 blue drums, each holding 200 litres, inside the bonded lorry, together with equipment used to siphon the crude palm oil.
Shahrum said police issued a summons for a traffic offence under the Road Transport Act 1987.
“All the suspects and the seized items were handed over to the Northern Region MPOB for further investigation, and the case is being investigated under Regulation 5 of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (Licensing) Regulations 2005,” he added.
Palm oil smuggling is driven by subsidies that keep local prices low, allowing syndicates to profit by selling it at higher prices abroad. – Bernama
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