KOTA BHARU, Sept 29 — The main suspect in a subsidised cooking oil smuggling syndicate, known as “Datuk John”, is expected to face six charges in court this Wednesday.
Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Azman Ismail said the 28-year-old man’s remand period has been extended for another three days starting today, Berita Harian reported.
He added that seven other individuals, including two enforcement officers detained in the same operation, were released on police bail this morning after their remand expired.
The group was arrested during a KPDN operation last Thursday in Kota Bharu and Pasir Puteh, which targeted a smuggling network believed to involve the two enforcement officers.
During the 7pm raid, KPDN officers seized 11,050 kilogrammes of subsidised cooking oil worth about RM27,625, along with two lorries, a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and a Toyota Vellfire.
Azman said the syndicate used illegal jetties along Sungai Golok to move large quantities of the oil, while smaller amounts were smuggled across the border in luxury vehicles via the Rantau Panjang ICQS complex.
He said the enforcement officers were allegedly tasked with driving the vehicles through the checkpoint to ensure smooth cross-border passage.
Investigations also found that the cooking oil was sourced from Negeri Sembilan and Selangor using permits registered under other individuals’ names before being smuggled into Thailand for significant profits.
