KOTA BHARU: The leader of a syndicate smuggling subsidised cooking oil to Thailand, who was among eight people arrested in Kelantan, is expected to be charged on Wednesday (Oct 1).
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry Kelantan director Azman Ismail said the syndicate’s 28-year-old mastermind, known as Datuk John, has had his remand order extended by three days starting on Monday (Sept 29).
“Datuk John is expected to be slapped with six charges on Wednesday,” he told reporters at Istana Balai Besar here on Monday.
“The other seven people arrested were released today on police bail on expiry of their remand order,” he said.
Two enforcement officers arrested for alleged ‘counter setting’ for the syndicate were among the seven released on Monday.
The syndicate is said to have misappropriated and smuggled 11,050kg of subsidised cooking oil through illegal bases along Sungai Golok and the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS) in Rantau Panjang.
“They transported large quantities via Sungai Golok, while smaller amounts were smuggled in luxury vehicles driven by the enforcement officers involved to ease passage,” Azman said.
He said investigations also revealed that Datuk John is believed to have sourced the cooking oil from Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.
“They had permits as suppliers in Negeri Sembilan under another person’s name, and the cooking oil was smuggled into Thailand for double the profit,” he said.
The eight were arrested in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas, on Sept 25 in a joint operation involving Kelantan KPDN and Region Three marine police. – Bernama
