THE Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has uncovered another tactic used by drug smugglers, following the seizure of some 70kg of syabu hidden in Chinese tea packets on a boat near Muar yesterday.

Johor maritime director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said the syabu and the fibre boat, all worth about RM3.9 million, were seized in a raid in the waters off Parit Amat at about 11.20am yesterday.

He said that acting on a tip-off, two patrol boats from the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone intercepted the boat, believed to be from Indonesia.

“On seeing the enforcement team, two men in the boat fled towards a nearby mangrove swamp forest, leaving the boat with its contraband at 0.1 nautical mile southwest of Parit Amat,” he said in a press conference in Batu Pahat today.

According to Nurul Hizam, officers from one of the patrol boats then boarded the suspects’ boat and found the syabu.

“Crystalline substance believed to be syabu was found in 66 Chinese tea packets, kept in four plastic bags of various colours, a courier package and a sling bag,” he added.

The other patrol boat went in pursuit of the two suspects but lost them, he added.

He said he had asked for assistance from the 6th Battalion General Operations Force to track down the two men. – Bernama, March 26, 2021.