TAWAU: A 27-year-old local was arrested for allegedly being involved a “fuel runner” following the discovery of 40 gallons of petrol aboard a cargo boat he was operating in Tawau waters on Tuesday.
Tawau Maritime Zone Director Maritime Captain Ariffin Ghazali said the suspect was believed to have used tactics of smuggling fuel in small quantities to avoid detection by authorities.
However, he said the tactic failed to evade the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Maritime Malaysia) Tawau Zone when the suspect’s boat was detected moving suspiciously from here towards Sebatik Island before it was intercepted at about 0.8 nautical miles north of the Aji Kuning River mouth.
“Inspection found that the boat was carrying 40 gallons of petrol, estimated at 1,200 litres, along with three filled LPG gas cylinders, believed to be intended for smuggling out without a valid permit,” he said, Wednesday.
Ariffin said the skipper also failed to produce a valid boat registration licence during the inspection.
Following that, he said the boat and engine, along with all the cargo, were seized and taken to the Tawau Maritime Zone Jetty for further investigation under the Supply Control Act 1961 and the Sabah Ports and Harbours Department (JPDS) Enactment 2002.
He added that the seized fuel was estimated to be worth RM3,000, while the total value of the confiscated items was estimated at RM46,000.
Ariffin said the modus operandi of transporting fuel in small quantities but doing so repeatedly was among the common tactics used by smuggling syndicates and must be continuously curbed.
Ariffin urged members of the public with information related to maritime crimes to contact the Tawau Maritime Zone Operations Centre at 089-750116 or the emergency line 999 for immediate action.
